Darkest Side of Night
by Jet
Summary: UPDATED!! (finally) :) Chapter 9 is up! My first Young Hercules fanfic, so go easy if I'm a little out of character. When Iolaus helps a strange girl while hunting in the woods he discovers a side of humanity that is darker than he ever thought possible.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:  
Alright, I don't own a thing. Okay? I admit it, geez. I hope you're   
happy now. No money is being made off of this story and I have to give the boys   
back when I'm done. Though Dean O'Gorman is welcome to come visit   
anytime he wants. ;)  
  
Darkest Side of Night.  
  
  
The silence of the forest was shattered by a loud yell, followed soon   
after by the sounds of running feet and a muffled curse. In a blur of motion and   
labored breathing a young woman streaked through the peaceful clearing, her   
red-gold curls streaming behind her. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder   
and caught a glimpse of metal in the trees behind her. _Maybe this wasn't such a   
great idea after all._ With a breathless curse she returned her attention to the  
all but non-existent trail in front of her and renewed her efforts.  
Hurtling over a small stream and dodging large boulders along the   
streambed it became painfully obvious to her that, while she could stay ahead of   
her pursuers she wasn't gaining ground on them. _Okay, don't panic. You've   
made it this far. What was Ariannia always tell you? When in doubt the best   
defense is to stay where you are? Whatever, it was something like that._   
Without pausing the girl ran straight at an especially large rock, leaping   
up onto it with one stride and reaching up to grab a low tree branch. Flipping   
herself up and over she landed on the branch, hidden by the leaves from the soldiers  
below.  
Trying to slow her racing pulse and breath normally she carefully slid   
down into a slight crouch and watched anxiously as her pursuers crossed the   
stream. They charged across, fanning out quickly to search for her trail, yelling   
orders to one another. The girl's breath caught in her throat as one of them examined  
the rock she had left off of more closely than she was comfortable with.   
_Am I bleeding? None of them got me on the way out. What in Tartarus   
is he so damn interested in? Don't look up._ She pleaded silently, sending a   
quick prayer to Artemis that their hunt would not be successful tonight. The   
soldier below her was still looking at the rock intensely and the girl felt certain  
that he'd seen some evidence of her leap, be it a spot of blood or some other   
insignificant detail. He cocked his head to one side and the girl froze, crouched   
barely five feet above his head. _Just turn and walk away. There you go. Just go away.   
Nothing to see here. Nothing to see..._  
"Dionyus! What're you waiting for? We've got her trail! It's still fresh,   
she can't be far ahead!" One of the other soldiers called to the older man, who   
forgot his interest in the rock and hurried to catch up with the rest of the   
soldiers.  
Only when they were completely out of sight did the redhead allow herself   
to relax. Cautiously stretching tense back muscles she slowly lowered herself to  
the ground. Her booted feet hit hard packed earth and she looked around, half expecting  
Narius' men to come charging back out of the bushes at her. Nothing happened and she  
breathed out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, Artemis. That's another one I owe  
you." She quietly told the air.  
With another quick look around she began picking her way between the   
rocks of the stream. She had gone barely half a league when a hand reached out   
of the bushes on the bank and grabbed her ankle. Her momentum unexpectedly   
halted she stumbled and fell with a splash into the frigid water. Sensing someone  
behind her she scrambled to a half-sitting position and glared up at the man who stood  
above her. It was the soldier who had shown some much interest in the rock early, Dionyus.   
He grinned coldly at her, a predatory grin that sent chills down her spine.  
"I found her!" He shouted out, then directed his attention to the shivering girl   
who had regained her feet. "I knew you'd come this way." He told her matter of factly.  
"That trick with the tree was cute, but the game's over, little girl. Narius wants you back.   
And what Narius wants, well, Narius gets."  
The girl pushed a soaked lock of red-gold hair out of her eyes, tried to   
look helpless, and whimpered convincingly. Dionyus only smiled and stepped   
forward, she hurriedly stepped back, giving the impression of absolute terror.  
Her ruse worked and Dionyus, more confident now reached out quickly   
to grasp her wrist. Instantly the girl's expression changed from abject terror to deadly   
intent. In one swift move she violently twisted her wrist free of his grasp and brought   
the rock she had concealed behind her full force on the guard's head. He tried to duck   
and the rock grazed him temple. Never the less he fell hard, dazed. The girl dropped the   
rock and spun, dashing headlong into the thickest underbrush. _Narius can go to Tartarus.  
I'll never go back there._  
Behind her she heard a very good demonstration on the use of four letter   
words and the sound of running feet accompanied by brief splashes. She pushed   
herself to run faster as she heard the guards take up the chase, the cracking   
of trees and shouted curses announcing their pursuit. She sprinted blindly through  
the trees, praying to all the gods above that she would not trip over a root.  
The chase continued form several minutes, the sounds of the pursuing   
guards sounding further and further away. Not daring to slow her pace the   
redhead continued to pound at the dirt, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Then   
suddenly the trees ended, leaving her to stare open mouthed at a rather large   
river. Cursing her luck and briefly wondering what god she could have slighted   
she veered left, down river, hoping to get clear before the guards cleared the   
tree line. No such luck. They raced out of the woods and spotted her racing along  
the bank, turning quickly to give chase.  
Ignoring the arrows that flew around her the girl sprinted down the   
bank. _Oh yeah. This plan definitely needs some work._ Her eyes darted around   
the bank quickly, looking for any sort of weapon she could use to defend herself.   
A thick branch several yards downstream caught her attention and she raced   
for it, diving into a roll and coming up with the long branch poised like a staff   
in her hands. She whirled to face Narius' men, disappointed to see Dionyus still   
among the conscious. _Just gonna have to rectify that mistake._  
To her amusement the guards stopped dead in their tracks when she   
whirled around. Some stood with their mouths hanging open in shock; they   
couldn't comprehend that a simple slave girl had the nerve to fight back.   
Without hesitating the girl took advantage of their shock and waded into   
the center of them waving the makeshift staff with reckless abandon.  
"Don't kill her! Narius wants her alive!" She heard one of them shout   
as she swung her staff behind the knees of one man then brought it up to meet   
his chin as he fell. He went down in a heap, she dropped her staff and dove for   
his sword, rolling quickly she parried a downward thrust meant to cleave her   
skull in two and kicked out, catching the man in the chest. He doubled over and   
she jammed the hilt down hard on his temple. _Two down._ She thought triumphantly,   
turning quickly to place her back to the river and her heart sank a little. _And   
ten to go. This isn't over yet._  
She set her jaw grimly. Whatever happened she would not return to that   
living Tartarus alive, of that she was certain. Then the guards rushed her and   
the future seemed very far away.  



	2. Chapter 2

  
With a small sigh Iolaus dropped his carry-sack unceremoniously onto   
the ground. He followed immediately after it, leaning back casually against a   
tree trunk. Closing his blue eyes the curly haired blonde sighed again in   
contentment.  
Another large carry sack landed with a thud next the hunter's head.   
Without opening his eyes Iolaus could almost see the small smile of amused   
exasperation on his tall companion's lips. Cracking one eye open the blond   
hunter shifted his head to gaze up at the young demi-god he traveled with.  
"I hope you're not going to say what I think you're going to say." He   
told the blue-eyed boy.  
"We need food, Iolaus." Hercules told him, studiously ignoring the   
loud groans of protest coming from his curly haired friend.  
"But we just got here." Iolaus complained, earning himself a stern look,   
"This is vacation. You remember vacation right? Food, girls, wine, girls, parties,  
dancing with girls..."  
"Hey, it was your brilliant idea to go hunting, remember? We could   
have stayed at Kora's, but noooo, you wanted to have a buddy-to-buddy hunting   
trip so don't start with me." Iolaus fell silent at this and Herc grinned   
mischievously, "But if you don't want to catch us dinner, I could try my hand at   
hunting..." the demi-god trailed off and looked at his friend pointedly.   
Although he could certainly catch something given enough time, it was late,  
and knowing Iolaus' stomach the tall blonde was willing to bet the prospect of   
waiting several hours for a meal would be enough to encourage him to move.  
True to his nature Iolaus grudgingly got up, "Nevermind. With you hunting   
we'll be waiting till Solstice for a good meal." He stretched and began collecting   
snares and supplies. He shot a quick look at his best friend. "That fire better be   
blazing when I get back. And you get to do the cooking." Without waiting to hear   
his friend's reply the short youth turned his back on the clearing and disappeared   
into the words leaving Hercules to stare after him.  
Iolaus spent some time tracking game, deciding on the best spots to   
place snares and gauging the animal traffic in the area before he came across a   
fast flowing river. _Fresh fish tonight, Herc. I hope you've learned to cook._  
Hurriedly placing his last snare the blond hunter fastened his ever-  
present hook onto a branch and settled in for a wait, the fishing line dangling   
lazily in the rushing water.  
It soon became apparent that the current was too fast at this particular   
spot, but Iolaus had had his heart set on fish since he'd first glimpsed the river.   
With a small sigh he gathered up his supplies, checked quickly on his snares   
and walked down river, searching for a calmer place to fish. He rounded a bend in   
the river and stopped dead, the bawdy sailor's song he'd been whistling dying on   
his lips. The noise of the river had drowned out the clang of swords and curses   
from the battle before him. _What in Tartarus is going on here?_ He wondered briefly  
looking at the combatants, all of whom had yet to notice him.  
Several men in armor lay strewn about the bank, a few moaning   
pitifully and struggling to rise, but most simply lay there. The remaining   
soldiers, seven or so had surrounded a young girl of about 18 summers. As he   
watched, the girl glared defiantly at the men surrounding her swiping deftly with   
her sword before leaping up and catching two of them in the chin with her feet.   
She landed gracefully, dropping to a crouch and sweeping her left leg in a circle  
sending three tumbling to the ground in a heap. The remaining two, having   
decided enough was enough pounced when the girl was regaining her senses.  
She went down beneath the two armored soldiers and Iolaus felt anger   
rising in his soul, this poor girl was good but sheer numbers would win out in   
the end. He dropped his fishing pole and grabbed his hunting knife. With a cry he launched himself into the fray, kicking one of the soldiers off the girl and   
pulling the other one up. He caught a glimpse of startled hazel eyes and red curls before a mailed fist came at his face.  
He ducked under the punch and brought his knife hilt up to smash the   
man in the chin, his eyes rolled up and he crumpled to the ground at Iolaus' feet.   
He heard a loud clang behind him and whirled to see the girl stop a downward   
swing aimed at his head, with a cry the redhead pushed upward sending the man reeling   
backwards. _Who is that girl? _ Flashing a quick smile of thanks he turned and kicked  
an approaching soldier, the man caught his foot however and   
yanked his feet right out from under him, Iolaus lost his grip on his knife as he fell  
and watched as it skidded away. _Uh-oh_  
Lying flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him Iolaus looked up at   
the man before him. The soldier raised his sword high to deliver the final blow.   
_Brilliant plan, Iolaus. Great way to impress the girls._  
Suddenly a rock flew out of nowhere hitting the man of the temple;   
Iolaus rolled quickly to avoid the falling sword. He looked up to see the girl   
smile broadly at him before she was hit from behind. Quickly he turned and   
grabbed up the fallen sword, a quick look around told him that only four soldiers   
remained in the fight, two trying to hold down the struggling redhead and two standing  
in his way.  
"Come on boys." He taunted the two men in front of him, "Let's see   
what you've got." They didn't move, simply stood there blocking his path to the   
girl. "So that's how you want to play it, huh?" He tossed the sword away and   
faced them down. All he got in response was a blink of incredulity. _Perfect._   
Without warning he ran straight at both men, throwing himself into their arms   
and allowing his body to go completely limp.  
The startled soldiers staggered backward suddenly finding themselves   
holding Iolaus' dead weight in their arms. Then, as suddenly as he had collapsed   
the agile hunter leapt up, taking hold of the stunned soldiers by the hair and   
cracking their heads together. One went out like a light, the other remained   
conscious enough to make a grab for Iolaus' ankle as he ran past. The hunter   
went sprawling, landing face first in the dirt. He picked up a convenient rock   
and swung it at the soldier's jaw. It connected with a loud crack and the soldier  
went down.  
He picked himself up and ran to help the girl who had by now freed   
herself from one of her captors. The other was screaming at the fallen man to   
bring a rope. Running up Iolaus elbowed the man quickly, sending him   
stumbling back as the girl twisted free of his grip.  
A shout from behind caught his attention and he saw several of the   
dazed soldiers pick themselves up. _Okay. Time for plan beta._ He grabbed a   
slender wrist and pulled the girl with him into the woods. "Come on!"  
She got the idea, reaching down quickly to pull a dagger from where it   
had lodged in a tree. Behind them they could hear the soldiers trying to rally a   
chase. _Gotta find Herc. He'll know what to do._   
Never slowing his pace he turned to the girl who ran beside him, finally   
getting a chance to really look at her. She was beautiful, he decided, or would   
be as soon as she got a bath. Her auburn hair flowed in loose curls behind her   
as she fled. She wore only a simple halter top and faded leather pants, boots   
laced high up her legs stopping just below her knees. All of her clothing was   
of poor quality, patches and tatters flapping in the breeze.   
Still keeping pace with him the girl caught his gaze with her own.   
"Who are you? Why...are you doing this?"  
Iolaus risked a glance over his shoulder; the shouts had long since   
faded away and there seemed to be no sign of pursuit. He slowed, allowing both   
himself and the girl a chance to rest.   
"My name's Iolaus. I was looking for a good fishing spot when I saw   
those guys corner you."  
"You shouldn't have helped me." The girl said quietly, "Now you're a   
target too."  
"Whoa. Hold on there. They were hurting you, you obviously needed   
help..."  
"I can take care of myself!" She snapped, her hazel eyes flashing. "I   
don't need your help. I never asked for it." She turned quickly and began   
walking away.  
" 'Why thank you Iolaus. You saved my life'" Iolaus mimicked   
following after her, " 'Anytime beautiful stranger. Glad to be of service.' You   
got something against people being nice?" He questioned, avoiding a branch that   
snapped up into his face. She ignored him. _Why do I pick the ones with the   
attitudes?_ He jogged forward and grabbed her arm.  
She reacted instantly, spinning to catch him behind the knees with her   
leg, he went down hard and she pulled the dagger out of her belt and held it to   
his throat.  
The hunter's eyes widened. "Whoa! Calm down." He breathed, acutely   
aware of the dagger at his throat. "I just wanted to talk to you."  
She stared down at him, "So talk."  
"Ummm, well, for starters you could, you know, put that away. I'm not   
going to hurt you."  
She snorted, her hazel eyes never softening. "I've heard that before."   
But she did move the dagger away, even if she didn't put it away completely.   
Iolaus sat up rubbing his throat. "Are you always this polite?" He asked   
carefully, he was rewarded by a slight smile that vanished almost as soon as it   
had begun. "Really, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And I'm sure   
you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but there were twelve men   
back there... Not the greatest odds, even for a war hero."  
With a sigh she sheathed the dagger, apparently convinced that he   
meant her no harm. "We have to keep going. Narius will be coming after us."   
She said, staring intently into the woods.   
Iolaus picked himself up off the ground and studied her. Her shifts in   
temper were getting hard to keep up with. "Don't I get to know your name?"   
She looked at him, "Shiri."  
"Shiri. I like it. It's nice." The blonde looked around trying to get his   
bearing; he'd lost track of the direction of his campsite during their flight   
from the men on the beach. Speaking of which...This girl had a lot of explaining   
to do. "Who were those men on the beach?"  
"Guards." She said simply. Picking her way through the underbrush.  
"Guards...Okay, that's a start. Whose guards? Why were they after   
you?" Iolaus asked as he followed her, "I mean, twelve guards for one girl   
seems a little over the top."  
"It's a long story, okay. Believe me, you do not want to get more   
involved than you already are."  
"Try me."  
  
Shiri took a deep breath and silently counted to ten, this little blonde   
was beginning to get on her nerves with his endless questions. She appreciated   
his help on the beach; she'd no doubt be back in Narius' clutches if it weren't   
for this brave warrior. But did that mean she had to share her life story with   
the guy? He seemed to think saving her merited some sort of reward.  
"Look, it's not like I don't appreciate the help." She said, turning to   
face the small hunter, pretending she didn't hear him mumble the words 'Could   
have fooled me.' "But you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."  
"So tell me. Who's this Narius you mentioned? Why does he want you   
so badly?"  
She closed her eyes. "He's a local warlord. I escaped from his camp   
yesterday night. He sent those goons after me to bring me back." The world   
tilted suddenly as the blackness she'd been fighting won out and closed in over   
her vision. She thought she heard the blond man cry out before she was lost   
completely to the darkness.  
She woke again a few minutes later to find herself staring into worried   
blue eyes. "Thank the gods." She heard the blonde say. What was his name   
again? Iolaus? That sounded right. A gentle hand brushed her red-gold curls out   
of her eyes.  
"Wha-? What happened?"  
"You just collapsed. You're exhausted."  
"I'm fine." She lied, pushing weakly at the strong hands that held her   
down. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she lay back quickly.  
Iolaus let a small smile slip over his lips, "Sure you are. You've been   
on the run since last night, no food or drink I'll bet. You're exhausted. Just   
relax. We're safe here. Narius can't get you."  
"You don't understand..." She protested, cutting off as Iolaus gently   
forced his waterskin to her lips and made her drink. She swallowed obediently,   
"Narius...he has help...from the gods. You're in danger, she'll hurt you...or   
worse..."  
She saw the kind blue eyes narrow slightly and realized she was   
babbling, "Hera. He worships Hera. I was a gift from her." She trembled   
slightly. _I never thought I'd be telling someone this._  
"Gift? You...you're a slave?"  
"Was a slave. Yeah, I was captured and sent to Hera's slave pits. She   
hand picked me; sent me to serve Narius. Some kind of bribe I think."  
She felt his arms encircle her as he gave her a soft hug, "I'm so sorry."   
He told her gently, and she covered her surprise, he hadn't pulled away in   
disgust or terror. This man was trying to make her feel better, no oppression or   
trying to take advantage of his situation. He was genuinely concerned for her.   
It was a strange realization; she'd never expected this.  
"You're safe now. I have a friend in Corinth. He'll help you, get you   
set up for a new life. Then we'll go after this Narius guy. He'll never harm   
another soul again. I swear it."  
"But, Hera. She'll help him find me. And you helped me, she'll be   
coming for you as well. I can't..." She broke off staring up into those amazing   
blue eyes, "I can't let that happen."  
"Nothing's gonna happen. Okay? I won't let it."  
She nodded slowly, wanting so desperately to believe this kind   
stranger. It had been so long since someone had held her like that. Breaking the   
embrace was like a physical pain, but they needed to keep moving.   
Getting up slowly off the ground she offered her hand to the blonde   
before her, "I'm sorry I was such a bitch before..."She offered lamely.   
Iolaus only smiled, "It's understandable now." He accepted her hand up   
and leapt to his feet. "I have a friend around somewhere. We were camping, I   
got sent to look for food...He'll help us. Which way's north?" He spoke quickly   
and began looking at the surrounding greenery. Shiri hung back. "What?"  
"I can't bring anyone else into this. It's bad enough that she's after you   
now..."  
Iolaus rolled his eyes, "Oh, that! Relax. Hera already hates him, me too   
for that matter. He's Hercules, a half-mortal son of Zeus. That horse-faced bitch  
has been after him since he was born. She's come after us a few times since I've   
known him."  
"She attacked you and you survived it?" Shiri asked dubiously.  
"Oh sure. She's all talk. Can't back it up with anything if you know   
what I mean." He flashed her a grin, "Let's go, it's getting dark. My snares   
might have picked something up."  
She found herself smiling back at him, the first real smile in over a   
year. She took his outstretched hand and followed him into the woods.  



	3. Chapter 3

Narius was not a happy man. His most recent campaign had just fallen   
flat, five thousand good men lost; he couldn't find a suitable sacrifice for Hera's   
offering the day after next; and to top it all off, his favorite slave girl had   
escaped during the night. No, Narius was very cranky indeed.  
"I want to know what is taking them so long!" He bellowed from his   
perch on an expensive, ornate chair. His lean face was red with rage, making the   
wicked scar that ran from above his right eye to his left jaw stand out as a streak   
of white. Several servants jumped in fright and stepped back hurriedly.  
"M...My Lord. It has only been a day." A small man ventured timidly,   
"Perhaps she has run further than anticipated?"  
A fist thudded angrily on the armrest. "I sent twelve of my best men   
after that little bitch. They should be back by now."  
The little man bowed briefly, "If it please you, master. I will go check   
again with the guards." He told the warlord. "Perhaps they have heard   
something..."  
The servant had not made it three paces when there was a loud   
commotion outside the tent. Narius rose to his full height, having to duck   
slightly to clear the roof with his head.  
He brushed the terrified servant out of his way and exited the tent. He   
was greeted by his captain of the guards, the one he had sent to retrieve his   
slave. And yet there was no slave girl to be seen, nor could Narius hear any of   
the colorful language she used in his presence. His dark eyes narrowed   
dangerously as he glowered at the captain, "Where is she?"  
The man before him shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot and   
looked at the ground. "She escaped us, sir. We had her cornered by the river.   
She was putting up a pretty good fight when we were ambushed. There must   
have been at least twenty of them; they came out of the trees. We didn't stand a   
chance."  
A large hand closed around his throat, effectively cutting him off. "Does anyone   
else support this story?" Narius asked slowly. No one spoke. "Well, perhaps we  
could ask the great Hera for her version of events..." He let the threat trail off.  
"It was a boy." One man spoke up quickly. The captain shot him a dirty   
look but remained silent under Narius' glare.  
"Continue."  
"There's not much to say, sir. A boy of about 18 summers helped her   
escape. He was good, might even be a student at that academy near Corinth.   
They were gone by the time we could organize a chase."  
Narius' face darkened several shades and he threw the captain of the   
guard to the ground. The man lay still, gasping for breath and massaging his   
bruised windpipe. Narius drew his sword and stood over him.  
"You let one simple slave girl escape twelve trained men?" he asked,   
his voice barely above a whisper. "You let her escape, then had the nerve to lie   
about it. I don't allow liars or cowards in my camp. Your death will be a lesson   
to all those who dare disappoint me. May the gods have mercy upon your soul."   
He brought the sword crashing down, silencing the man's scream in one deft   
motion.  
The dark eyes roamed the remaining soldiers. He beckoned forward the   
one who had spoken earlier. The young man stepped forward hesitantly,   
glancing involuntarily at the headless corpse at his feet. He swallowed hard and   
met the warlord's eyes.  
"What is your name, boy?"  
"Crylinus, Sir."  
"Crylinus, I need men like you to lead my armies. Men who are willing   
to admit their mistakes and who will take responsibility for their actions.   
I want you to find a suitable replacement and track that girl down. She can't have   
gotten far and I want her back, alive and in one piece. Understood?" The boy   
nodded, "Do not fail me a second time. Dismissed."  
The soldiers fled, leaving Narius alone with his servant. "Bring the new   
girl to my tent, prepare her. I will be along in a moment." He told the man, who   
nodded and scurried away.  
The sky darkened immediately after the other man had left and Narius   
turned slowly.  
"You let her get away." A female voice rang out, echoing strangely in   
the camp. "I went through all that trouble to arrange the perfect girl for your   
needs and you just let her go."  
"I am sorry, oh Great One." Narius said quietly, dropping to one knee   
beneath the harsh gaze of the peacock eyes hovering in the sky. "She had help in   
escaping. A cadet from the academy helped her defeat my men."  
The sky crackled with lightning. "I know that, fool! What do you plan to do about it?"  
"I shall make him pay for his crimes, against me and against you. And I   
know just the punishment for such an offence..."  
"You serve me well Narius. I will assist you this once. I have sent four   
of my best archers after the pair; they will bring them to you. I leave their   
punishment in your capable hands." Another flash of lightning and the glowing   
eyes disappeared, leaving only a single peacock's feather lying in the dirt.  
Narius knelt and kissed the feather, raising his eyes to the sky. "I thank   
you for your gift, great Hera. And I promise you, the blood of the 'hero' will   
flow at your alter."  
  
"So, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Iolaus asked his red haired   
companion. They had been walking for about an hour now and had yet to find   
the river. So, to keep his mind off of his ever-increasing surety that they were   
well and truly lost, Iolaus kept up a steady stream of conversation. It had taken  
some time and a few dead ends, followed by bouts of stony silence, but Shiri was   
beginning to come out of her shell. He'd told her of his adventures with Hercules,   
his friends back at the academy, about Jason's coronation, Lilith and the amazons,   
even some of his very own hydra jokes. Anything he could think of to keep that smile  
on her face. And it had worked, until his latest question at least.   
She didn't answer him in the normal span of time so he turned to look   
back at her, a smart remark poised on his lips. Whatever he meant to say   
withered away at the sight of her face. Her hazel eyes were huge, framed by   
shockingly pale skin, and she was trembling. Hard. Even from several feet away   
Iolaus could see she was shaking like a leaf.  
"I'm sorry. Forget I said anything okay?" He said hurriedly as he   
quickly took her elbow and led her to a rock. Guiding her down he looked at her   
worriedly. "Sorry, that was my fault. I didn't mean to upset you...You don't   
have to answer that."  
"No." She looked up at him, searching out his blue-eyed gaze, "It's not   
your fault, you couldn't have known." She wiped a hand across her eyes. "It's a   
long story..."  
Iolaus sat beside her and gently took her hand. "I said you didn't have   
to tell me. I can just assume you were born with those skills it really wouldn't   
hurt anything."  
Shiri smiled sadly and shook her head. "I need to get this out. Just tell   
someone, you know? It's been inside so long I don't think I can handle it   
anymore..."  
"Then I have time. Herc won't start worrying for a good hour yet."  
Shiri took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Here goes...I grew up in   
a little village just north of Arcadia. My father was a hunter, he taught my older   
brother and me how to hunt. Said that girls needed to fend for themselves too if   
they ever got caught out in the woods. My mother stayed at home; sold her   
quilts and pottery. I don't remember much of that time. Our village was raided   
by bandits when I was ten..." She trailed off and sniffed. Iolaus gave her hand  
a small squeeze.   
She smiled tearfully at him. "My parents didn't survive the raid.   
Mother tried to defend her goods... they took her...When Father saw this he   
went mad. He hid Thuri and me behind some firewood and attacked the bandits.   
Thuri never told me what happened...He didn't let me see. When I came out of   
hiding, the bandits were gone and my father was dead.  
"From that day on it was just the two of us. Thuri was sixteen, a real   
man he kept insisting. We lived off the land, stealing bread and water when we   
couldn't support ourselves. Occasionally we would sell our services or our meat   
in a village in exchange for a hot meal and a soft bed. We survived like that   
for two years.  
"Then one day we were walking along a quiet road somewhere, we   
were ambushed by bandits, they attacked us and killed Thuri. To this day I don't   
know how or why they left me alive. I woke up in a small camp full of amazons.   
They had found me unconscious in the road and taken me in. I became an   
official member of the Yazan amazon tribe at age twelve and lived with them for   
five years. Last year our camp was attacked by slavers, they killed many who   
resisted and anyone who was knocked out of the fight became a 'guest' of the   
goddess Hera." She looked up slowly, taking a deep breath, shaky breath.   
"That's the summary."  
"I'm sorry." Was all Iolaus said, squeezing her shoulder gently.   
She only nodded sadly. It felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her  
chest, and for the first time in a year she could breath easily, knowing that   
someone else knew all her secrets. And he hadn't turned away, he was willing to  
bear her pain and share it. That in itself was enough to give her the courage   
to move forward.  
She looked up at the sky and drew in a quivering breath. "We'd better   
keep moving if you want to find your friend before night fall." She rose slowly   
and helped the hunter up. "Are you sure this is the right direction?"  
"Yep. The river was on our right before, and it flows from the   
northeast. So, to get back to my campsite we only have to travel upstream... No   
problem."  
Shiri shot him a look. "You're lost aren't you?"  
"Lost? Me? Never happen. I am the greatest hunter and tracker in all of   
Greece..." Iolaus trailed off when he saw that she wasn't buying it.   
"Admit it, Iolaus. You're lost."  
"Fine, but the river's around here somewhere. I know it is. Once we   
find it we just follow it upstream. Nothing to panic about."  
Shiri hid a grin behind a cough and turned to her left. "It's this way."  
"How do you know that?"  
"Just trust me." She said with a smile. She took his hand and led him   
into the trees. "You were telling me about 'Ruff". What is a "Ruff'?"  
Iolaus grinned and obligingly followed her lead. "Now there's a story   
and a half...See, Jason was receiving petitioners one day when Strife and   
Discord showed up in disguise. Being Strife and Discord they tried to cause   
trouble. They gave Jason this rock thing that wasn't really a rock it was a   
basilisk egg. So anyway...we tried to play with it, since someone had lost our   
ball...and it broke. So there we were in the middle of Corinth with this baby   
dragon, lizard thing. It spat goo at me and took off..."   
Iolaus continued his tale as they walked, glad that Shiri hadn't drawn   
back into her shell after her story. In fact, she seemed more at ease, as if a   
weight had been lifted off her shoulders. That amazon thing sure explained a lot.   
With an inbred distrust of men in general it was no wonder she had reacted to his   
help the way she did. He told Ruff's story on autopilot, his mind preoccupied with   
the way Shiri moved through the forest. He was so focused on the slender redhead   
that he didn't hear the rushing of the river. It was only Shiri's amused look of   
triumph that alerted him.  
"...So we had to find him before..." he trailed off, "What?"  
"Listen, mountain man." She told him. Iolaus stopped talking and   
concentrated on the surroundings. Immediately he could hear the rushing of the   
water from the river.   
"Great." Iolaus mumbled, feeling himself start to blush, "This is all I   
need, first you save my life, twice. Now you've embarrassed the greatest tracker   
in all of Greece. There's only one thing left for me to do..."  
"And that is?"  
Iolaus looked up from the ground with a mischievous glint in his eye,   
"Make sure you don't tell a soul, of course." He told her as he picked her up.   
Caught off guard the young Amazon didn't react. Her eyes widened in surprise   
as Iolaus sprinted for the river.  
"What are you..."  
She never got a chance to finish her sentence as her head was suddenly   
submerged in ice cold river water. Immediately she felt Iolaus' arms release her   
and she pushed herself to the surface sputtering wildly. "Why you little..."She   
shot a spray of water right into Iolaus' laughing face.   
The hunter stopped laughing and glowered at her, "You realize this   
means war?" he warned her.  
"Hey you started it, big guy. If you can't handle the heat stay out of the   
fire." And she shot another spray into his face. With a growl Iolaus kicked his   
feet, drenching her in a tidal wave of frigid water. Shiri retaliated and the war  
continued for several minutes, the two of them laughing uncontrollably the whole time.  
Eventually the cold water and exertion caught up to them and them   
dragged themselves, dripping, from the river. Shiri flopped tiredly onto her   
back and regarded Iolaus with a smile. "I haven't done that in years." She admitted.   
"It's one of the perks of a misspent youth." The hunter replied,   
dropping to the grass beside her, "At least you remember how, though you're   
dunking leaves something to be desired."  
"Hey, I kicked your sorry ass."  
"Sure you did..."  
"I did so."  
"Not from where I was standing. You barely got me under."  
"And held you there for a good minute. Admit it Iolaus, you got beat by   
a girl!"  
"Did not!"  
"Did too!"  
"Not!"  
"Too!"  
Iolaus burst out laughing suddenly and Shiri found his laughter   
infectious. Soon they were both panting from the effort of laughing so hard. By   
the end neither could remember just what they were laughing about, and they   
didn't care.  
A twig snapped behind them and they froze. Iolaus spun quickly to face   
the intruder, Shiri scrambling quickly to her feet at his side. The sight they  
saw did nothing to quell their fear. Four women stepped out of the foliage; they   
wore identical leather skirts and halter-tops. A golden bow in each of their hands,   
arrows nocked and ready to fly, all of them aiming at the two teenagers. But what   
made Iolaus' heart skip a beat was the peacock feathers that adorned their clothing.  
The mark of Hera. Which meant that these women were, more likely than not, four of   
Hera's archers. _If they're anything like Nemesis I really don't want to be here._   
Iolaus thought ruefully as he mustered a smile.  
"Hel-lo ladies. What can I do for you?" He asked as nonchalantly as he   
could. Immensely proud that his voice didn't crack or waver. At sideways   
glance at Shiri's pale face told him that she had also recognized the divine   
power behind these four archers.   
One woman stepped forward, her gray eyes boring into Iolaus, sizing   
him up. "We have been ordered to retrieve you. Do not resist."  
Iolaus rolled his eyes. "Right. Look lady. You've obviously got the   
wrong people. I'm here with my girlfriend, just took her out for a stroll. We   
heard some people further downstream. They might be who you're looking for."  
The archers exchanged looks, apparently unimpressed by Iolaus' story.   
A blonde in the back spoke up. "We don't have time for this." Their leader   
nodded and without warning an arrow imbedded itself into Iolaus' shoulder.  
"Hey! Ow!" Iolaus protested, reaching to pull the arrow out. He   
stopped suddenly as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Swaying slightly he   
turned to the frightened girl at his side. "Shiri..." Then darkness closed in   
and he fell into her arms.  
"Iolaus!" Shiri caught the boy as he fell towards her, preventing him   
from hitting the ground. She turned on the women, rage and defiance glittering   
in her eyes. "You didn't have to do that."  
"He was not co-operating."  
"Yeah, well he's not the one you want. Leave him be and I'll go   
quietly."  
"You are in no position to make demands, mortal. The great one has   
demanded that he come along as well."  
"He hasn't done anything!"  
"He defied Hera by defying Narius. For that he must pay." The archer   
flicked her wrist and an arrow embedded itself into Shiri's thigh. Before the   
drugs could do their work Shiri did the only thing she could think of. She   
screamed as loud as she could, Iolaus' friend was around somewhere, if he   
heard her he would bring help. _Please, Artemis. Help us._ Then the darkness   
claimed her as well.   
The four women regarded the unmoving mortals in distaste before   
moving to pick them up. "I'll never understand why Hera sent four of us for   
these little brats." One of them muttered as she slung Iolaus over her shoulder.   
None of them answered her. They simply disappeared in a flash of light leaving   
behind the sopping patchwork vest and a discarded dagger as the only reminders   
that anyone had been there.   



	4. Chapter 4

Sunset found Hercules near panic in the small campsite. Iolaus had left   
hours ago, he should be back be now. He had long since past the point of   
deciding how to harass Iolaus about this little lag time and had progressed into   
the more terrifying realm of imagining all the possible horrors that could have   
befallen his best friend.   
"I should never have let him go alone." He muttered to himself,   
completing another circuit of the small clearing. Pacing back and forth in front   
of his bedroll had done nothing save wear a groove into the earth, so he had tried   
a different route. This one was in danger of becoming as worn as the first one.   
Hercules was beginning his fortieth circuit when he heard the scream. It   
was a high pitched, mournful sound, full of terror and desperation. A started, all  
his senses brimming with fear for his missing friend. He relaxed slightly as it   
registered that the scream had been female and couldn't possibly have been   
Iolaus. He waited but the scream did not repeat itself.   
Hercules was torn. Someone was in trouble out there. He had a impulse   
to run to the rescue, but his missing friend held him back. If Iolaus returned to   
find him gone, what would he do? _He'd panic. That's what. Then he'd run off   
to find me, and we'd be stuck doing this little dance all night._ The young demi-god   
resumed his circuit. He had no idea what to do in this situation. Someone was in   
trouble out there, and yet if he ran to help he'd be abandoning his best friend.   
With a cry of frustration Hercules rushed to kick out the fire and scrawl   
a message into the dirt for Iolaus should he return. With a backward glance at   
the empty camp the blonde headed off in the direction of the scream, using the   
dim light from the rapidly setting sun to guide him.  
He came upon the river quickly, stopping once or twice to examine   
snares that Iolaus must have set earlier. At least his friend had made it this far.   
Finding the river rushing by Hercules paused; unable to decide which direction the   
scream had come from. *Down river.* A voice called in his head. *Just trust me.   
You'll find you're answers down river.* The voice repeated, oblivious to Hercules   
start of surprise.   
Not knowing exactly why, Hercules turned down river and followed the   
bank, still trying to figure out where that voice had come from. One of his divine   
relatives maybe, or maybe just intuition. He didn't know. Nor did he care as he   
rounded the next bend and saw evidence of a violent fight. He stopped short, a   
cold knot of fear hardening in his chest. A dark stain covered an area about the   
size of a small barrel, but when Hercules knelt next to it he saw that it had   
already dried. The fight must have taken place a long time ago. He could only   
hope that Iolaus had not been involved, or if he had, that he had not been hurt.   
With a sigh the demi-god stood up, he was losing light fast. And still he   
saw no sign of the woman in distress, though he had found the cause of her   
distress. *Keep going. More to find.* The voice was back.   
"What do you want?" He angrily asked the air, fighting down the   
gnawing worry he felt inside. *Go further. You friend is in trouble, find the   
girl and you will find him.* _Girl? What girl?_ Hercules was now thoroughly   
confused; though he continued down river for lack of any other ideas.   
The sun had just disappeared below the horizon when Hercules came   
upon the spot where Hera's archers had ambushed Iolaus and Shiri. The brilliant   
light of the full moon allowed him enough light to see the small beach. A glint   
of metal caught his eye and he moved closer, finding the dagger Shiri had   
dropped. He frowned, something wasn't right. Looking up slowly he searched   
the clearing more carefully.  
And there it was. It taunted him, a lifeline to his friend, a tantalizing   
clue to his whereabouts: Iolaus' vest. The very same vest he had been wearing   
only hours before when he had set out to catch their dinner. "No." Hercules   
breathed, dropping to his knees beside the garment. Upon closer inspection he   
was relieved to discover that the vest was free of bloodstains.   
"Iolaus!! Where are you?" He called suddenly. No answer, the chirping   
of birds and singing of crickets the only response. "What happened to you my   
friend?" He asked nobody in particular, not really expecting an answer.   
So when a musical female voice sounded from behind him he almost   
jumped out of his semi-divine skin. "They were taken."  
The demi-god dropped the vest, whirling quickly to face the woman,   
and stopped dead. Before stood a vision dressed in expensive hunter's dress. The   
iridescent eyes and astral shine around her body left no doubt to her identity.   
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.   
"Artemis? What are you doing here?" Hercules managed to gasp out.   
Even after years of meeting up with those family members of the divine nature,   
Hercules was still shocked when someone new appeared to him. As Artemis was   
doing now.  
"Your friend needs help, as does a follower of mine. I am here to aid   
you in finding them."  
"Why?"  
"I have no wish for harm to befall either of them." Hercules looked like   
he was about to interrupt but the goddess held up a hand to forestall any protests.   
"Hera's archers have taken them to a warlord's camp. It lies not far from here to   
the east. Hurry, my brother. They need you."  
The goddess' image began to fade as Hercules struggled to find his   
voice. "Why did they take them? What does Iolaus have to do with any of this?   
Artemis, wait! Please. What is going on?"  
None of his protests had any effect, soon the astral form was   
completely gone, only an echo of her voice remaining, "Hercules. Find them   
before it is too late. This man serves Hera; nothing good can come of this if he   
is not stopped. Find them."  
"Right, like I planned to just leave Iolaus there." Hercules muttered to   
himself as he found himself alone once more in the woods. He picked up the   
vest at his feet, running his fingers over the rough patchwork, hoping that   
wherever he was his friend was safe and warm. Though judging by Artemis'   
strange warning he wasn't, and wouldn't be until Hercules found him.  
"I'm coming, my friend. Hang in there." He whispered to the trees. His   
mind awhirl with horrific pictures of his friend's fate Hercules turned and   
sprinted back to the camp. He paused there only long enough to gather up the   
supplies that the two boys had brought before he was off running again. This   
time towards Corinth. If he was lucky he could make it to Jason's by daybreak.   
From what Artemis had said, he was going to need help to get to Iolaus. And if   
help didn't come in the form of three dozen palace guards, then he didn't know   
what else to do.  
Artemis watched the young demi-god as he charged through the words   
and smiled softly to herself. Her young half-brother would see this through.   
Hera had truly gotten overconfident by bringing the mortal friend of Hercules   
into this. And Artemis would be there to enjoy it. No one harmed her followers,   
or claimed them for her own. Not while the Goddess of the Hunt had any say in the matter.  
  
Shiri awoke with a start, all her senses on full alert. She didn't know   
what had awakened her; a deep-rooted sense of dread had suddenly kicked in.   
She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings, startled to find   
herself lying on soft furs, a thick chain attached to a heavy iron ring around   
her neck. Her arms and legs were free but the chain attached to a thick wooden   
post in the middle of the tent. The tent looked oddly familiar, but still Shiri   
couldn't seem to place it. Her head hurt, a lot. And her thoughts were still   
fuzzy. The last thing she remembered was bathing in the river, a water fight   
with a blond stranger...Iolaus. And then...It hit her suddenly. The archers,   
the arrow, the overwhelming drowsiness, then nothing. Until now, when she had  
woken up in a tent, chained... _Uh oh._   
"Okay, just relax. There's a way out of this. You know there is. You've   
just got to find it." The redhead muttered to herself as she pushed herself up  
into a semi sitting position. That small movement sent pain racing through her   
skull. She ignored it and concentrated on taking inventory of her surroundings.   
She was relieved to find that she was indeed alone in the tent.  
So, she was back where she had started. Narius had caught up with her   
and there would be hell to pay if she couldn't find a way out of this tent   
before he got back. She choked back her rising panic at that thought and   
concentrated on finding something to pick the lock on her collar with. Nothing   
presented itself so she cautiously moved to the end of her tether, hoping to   
reach one of Narius' daggers or any other slim object.   
Her heart was heavy with dread as she searched in vain for a way to   
free herself. Narius had learned from his previous mistakes, he no longer left   
objects slim enough to slip into a lock in her vicinity. The situation was not   
looking good. And they had Iolaus somewhere.   
The thought of the young hunter, dragged into this mess, was almost   
too much to bear for the young Amazon. For an instant she even considered   
pleading for his life, she was ready to sacrifice anything for the kind soul who   
had risked himself to help her. But she knew that such a display would only   
make it worse on the young man. If Narius knew the extent of her feelings for   
him, he would use him as a tool to get to her. She'd already caused him enough   
pain; adding guilt for something he couldn't control would not help matters.  
No, this was something she had to deal with without letting it slip that   
she cared for this brave boy. Cared for him in a way she hadn't felt possible.   
Not until a few hours ago had she thought that a man could possibly be so kind,   
so trusting and caring. "Now is not the time, Hun. You still have to find a way  
out of this, remember? Maybe you could postpone your silly little daydream until   
a later date, huh?" She muttered irritably to herself.  
There were no lock picking tools available to her so she looked for the   
next best thing, something sharp and heavy. Her eyes lit upon a heavy battle-axe   
lying several feet away. It was just outside her range of motion. But if she   
stretched...Almost...Got it! Pulling it in closer with her toe she grinned   
triumphantly, reaching down to heft the heavy weapon off the ground she turned   
to her chains and swung with all her might.   
There was a loud clang and a brief flash of sparks but the chains   
remained intact. Knowing that she had only moments before a guard   
investigated the noise and sounded the alarm, Shiri swung again and again. The   
metal did not break and she swore in frustration, looking up quickly at the   
entrance to the tent. No sign of trouble just yet. She kept at it. The damn   
thing had to break eventually.  
She was in mid-swing when she heard the harsh laughter behind. The   
sound was hauntingly familiar and she felt her soul freeze up. Taking a deep   
breath to calm her racing heart beat Shiri slowly turned to face the dark haired   
warlord who stood in the doorway.  
The big man merely grinned at the look of angry defiance on her face.   
"Up to your old tricks again? I'm afraid it won't work this time. Those chains   
were forged by Hephestus himself." He grinned maliciously at her. "You won't   
be going anywhere for a long time."  
Shiri remained silent, the axe still held ready in her hands. When she   
didn't respond to his taunts Narius' grin wavered slightly, "I've missed you.   
Those other girls can never do what you do to please me." He told her matter of   
factly "All that 'Please, don't hurt me. Spare my life.' crap I get from them.   
It's nice to have a real challenge once and awhile..." He looked her over lustfully.  
"Just try it asshole." Shiri growled, raising the axe slightly.  
Narius stopped and looked at her for a moment. "Oh, yes. The weapon.   
I'm afraid I can't allow that, though it would make it more interesting...Sorry,   
dear you'll have to hand it over." He held out his hand expectantly.  
Shiri just looked at him like he'd grown another head. "Right. I'm just   
gonna give it to you. Dream on. You'll have to take it from my cold dead   
fingers." She informed him.  
"My dear, you seem to have forgotten who's in charge here." Narius   
said around his chuckle.  
"What's the matter, Narius? Too scared to take on a little girl in a fair   
fight? Coward."  
"I don't need to prove myself to the likes of you."  
"Oh really? Well how about that time you couldn't get it up? Or the   
one when you bawled like a baby all night. Come on, tough guy. You're   
nothing, nobody. If you didn't have that little witch backing you up you'd be   
dead in a ditch somewhere!"  
Narius' face went red and Shiri shut up. Maybe that hadn't been such a   
great idea after all. She froze and watched him carefully, muscles tensed.   
"You couldn't have escaped without help. That brat we found with you   
had something to do with it."  
Shiri gave him a withering look. "You figure that out all by yourself or   
did you have to ask Hera?"  
He glowered at her and took a step forward, but halted as she raised the   
axe and growled. "If that's the way you want it. I had hope our reunion would be   
a little less...violent. But you leave me no choice." He opened the flap slightly   
and called to one of his guards, never taking his eyes off Shiri. "Bring the boy,   
make sure he is well bound." The guard nodded and scurried off.   
"Leave him out of this."  
"Oh, feelings for the brat? If you don't want to see him hurt you'll lay   
down your weapon."  
"Not on your life."  
"Have it your way." Narius simply smiled and sat carefully in his chair.   
A muffled curse was heard outside the tent, followed soon after by shouts and   
running feet. Narius looked up, startled, while Shiri hid a grin. Iolaus was giving   
them a run for their money out there. Something thudded against the tent wall and   
she heard someone scream in pain. Narius glared at her and she carefully schooled   
her expression into fierce defiance, but inside she was cheering.  
After several long minutes the sounds of a struggle died down   
somewhat and the flap flew open. Iolaus was then dragged in, kicking and biting   
at his captors. Despite his efforts they held him fast. He was bleeding freely   
from several cuts and a dark area around his right eye foretold a wicked black   
eye in the young man's future. When he saw Shiri he broke out in a wide grin.   
"Fancy meeting you here!"  
Narius stood and glared at the young hunter, as he stalked around him.   
He stopped and turned to Shiri, "Quite the little hero, isn't he?" He asked,   
drawing a dagger. Iolaus struggled harder against his captors and almost broke   
free before two more rushed to hold him. "Give up your weapon and I might let   
him live."  
Iolaus spat at the warlord. "Coward."  
"Now, little man. I'm willing to forgive that little infraction, provided I  
get a little compensation..." He traced the dagger down Iolaus' jaw line and looked   
expectant. "Now, about that axe..."  
Shiri growled in frustration. She had no doubt that Narius would kill   
Iolaus, whether she gave up the axe or not, it was only a matter of time. Time   
Iolaus didn't have if she didn't play along. With a sigh she closed her eyes and   
dropped the axe to the floor, positioning it so it fell against the chain. Nothing  
happened, though it was worth a shot.  
"Now kick it away..." Shiri gritted her teeth and did as she was told.   
She never took her eyes from Iolaus' blue-eyed gaze. "See. That wasn't so hard,   
was it?" The big man gloated, stepping away from the blond hunter. Shiri   
inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at this, even as he headed in her direction.   
He stepped into the area bounded by her tether and tapped the dagger   
against his palm. "I've been trying to decided what sort of welcome home   
present I should give you, my dear. It's only been two nights...but minutes can   
seem like hours when one can't distract himself." He took a step closer and Shiri   
backed up.   
"Hey!" The shout from the doorway drew the attention of both the   
hunter and the prey. Shiri's head shot up in alarm as she cast a warning glance at   
Iolaus. He ignored her and continued. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, big ugly.   
Where do you get off doing this? She isn't your property slime ball so get the   
hell away from her."  
Narius stopped his advance and turned to look at the seething hunter.   
Iolaus strained against the restraining arms that held him back, baring his teeth at   
the larger man. "Spirited brat, aren't you? I can see why Shiri took to you. You have  
the same spark that makes her so enjoyable. Perhaps you will be as much fun to break   
as she has proved to be..."  
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you? Make you feel all high and mighty   
to beat up on hapless prisoners? I know a Cyclops with a better sense of fair play   
than you."  
Shiri momentarily forgotten, Narius moved closer to the youth. "I'd   
watch what you say in my presence, maggot. No one speaks to me like that and   
lives to tell the tale."  
"Well there's a first time for everything." Iolaus shot back, undaunted.  
Narius lashed out, backhanding the youth viscously. Iolaus spit out blood,   
managing to splash some on the warlord's expensive leather pants. "That all you   
got?"  
Narius snarled and moved to hit him again, but Iolaus was no longer   
there. Taking advantage of the warlord's anger and distraction he had pulled   
down with all his weight, catching the men holding him off guard. Over   
balanced they went tumbling on top of him in a mass of flailing limbs. Always   
the master at squirming out of tight situations Iolaus managed to crawl out from   
under the pile of bodies. He stood to find himself face to face with a raging   
warlord.   
Flashing his most disarming smile Iolaus didn't hesitate. He whipped   
back his bound hands and connected solidly with Narius' face. He followed this   
with a kick the taller man's mid section that doubled him over.   
Shiri meanwhile had recovered from her initial shock, she moved as   
quickly as the chain binding her would allow, grabbing up the axe she had   
recently discarded and stepping into the paths of the four guards. "Hiya fellas!"   
She said brightly, a wolfish grin plastered on her face, "Care to dance?"  
The four of them stared at her for a moment before the spell was   
broken as Shiri attacked. She raised the axe high and charged screaming a war   
cry at the nearest guard. He hurriedly back peddled. But he didn't get out of   
range in time. Shiri's blow caught him high in the right shoulder and he went   
flying backward, crashing into one of his comrades. The man carelessly tossed   
away the dying soldier in his arms and glared at the girl.  
The other two backed out of her reach, Shiri cursed inwardly in   
frustration at the chain that inhibited her movements. The soldier before her   
swung his sword and she blocked the thrust with her axe, he pressed onward,   
backing her around the post in the middle of the tent. He thrust at her again and  
she backed away again, promptly tripping over the chain that lay behind her   
ankles.   
Flat on her back she looked up at the man above her and brought the   
axe up to block a downward sweep. Undeterred he simply tried again, keeping   
Shiri off balance so she could not get to her feet. She scrambled backward until   
the chain pulled taut and there was nowhere left to go. She felt a brief pang of   
regret and fear for Iolaus, but it was replaced immediately but an immense   
feeling of relief. She would no longer be forced to endure the living Tartarus   
that Narius had put her through.  
A shout from the other side of the room halted the downward swing of   
the deathblow that would finally put an end to her misery. With a sinking heart   
Shiri looked up.   
"Stop!" Narius roared, his face red with rage. He whirled and hit Iolaus   
across the side of his face with a mailed fist, the blond spun and dropped to the  
floor. He did not move.  
"NO!" Shiri cried out in anguish. "Iolaus!"  
The soldier above her paid no heed to her words; he looked at his boss   
with a look of pure terror, his hands seemingly frozen in position above his   
head. Narius ignored the limp body of the hunter and stalked forward.   
"Just what do you think you are doing?" he demanded even as the man   
dropped his weapon and stepped away from the girl. "You dare strike my   
property? You were going to kill her! No one touches my property! NO ONE!"  
"Yes m-my lord. O-of course not. I was merely teaching her a l-lesson,   
sir." The bearded man stammered, backing away from the advancing warlord.  
"I would not be so quick to dole out punishments if I were you." Narius   
growled, his voice barely more than a whisper.   
"But, my lord. She attacked us..."  
"And that gives you reason to kill her?" Narius exploded, he was now   
shaking with rage. Shiri slowly dragged herself to her feet; her eyes fixed warily   
on Narius. He ignored her; his attention fixed solely on the unlucky soldier. As   
quietly as she could Shiri inched her way to where Iolaus lay. The other two guards   
were busy watching the confrontation between their comrade and Narius and paid no   
attention to her actions.  
She couldn't quite reach the hunter's side, the length of chain severely   
restricting her movements. She could, however, reach his foot. So she reached   
out and shook it gently, calling his name softly. He did not respond and Shiri bit back panic. She could see his chest rise and fall from where she lay; at least he was still alive. She clung to that as she searched for a way to escape from her current predicament. The argument had escalated, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Narius tired of the man's fear and simply killed him. She had to work quickly.  
She shook Iolaus' foot again, provoking a small moan. It wasn't much   
but it lit a spark of hope within her. "Come on Iolaus!" She whispered fiercely,   
shaking his foot more insistently. He groaned this time and shifted to grab his   
aching head. "Iolaus! Get up!" She shot a nervous look over her shoulder;   
Narius had apparently gotten bored. The other man was now lying in a bloody   
heap on the tent floor.   
Iolaus was now sitting up, his bleary eyes attempting to focus on the   
girl in front of him. "What?"  
"Shhh... Narius hit you. Do you have a weapon, anything?"  
Iolaus shook his head slowly, glancing up, past her shoulder at the   
commotion by the door. "What's going on?"  
"We're back at Narius' camp. He wants to use you to get me to co-  
operate."  
"Don't let him..."  
"I can't help it! I don't want to see you hurt. So, promise me. Whatever   
he does to me he's probably already done before. I can handle it. I don't want   
you making yourself into a target. No more distracting him, okay?"  
"But what about you?"  
"I'll be fine. I've handled him for over a year now. It's you I'm worried   
about...Hera's demanded an offering in a few days, during the full moon..."  
Iolaus' eyes widened. "Hera... Does he know who I am?"  
"As far as he's concerned you're just a kid who helped me. He doesn't   
know."  
A barely audible sigh of relief from the hunter revealed his true fear,   
even as he put on a brave face. "It'll be okay..."  
"I know." She flashed him a small smile. "Just don't..." Iolaus opened   
his mouth to speak, even as his blue eyes widened, alerting her to the danger.   
The chain at her throat jerked hard, sending her tumbling backward with a gasp.   
Narius then grabbed a handful of her auburn curls and hauled her to her feet.   
Several guards rushed in and gripped Iolaus securely before he could move.  
"Now, where were we?" Narius purred in her ear. His rank breath was   
hot on the back of her neck. She suppressed a shudder.   
"We were just talking about all the ways I'm gonna kick your ass when   
I get out of here." She informed him. She felt, as well as heard, him laugh.   
"Not quite what I had in mind." He motioned to his guards and   
suddenly Iolaus was shoved into the waiting chair, chains wrapped securely   
around his body. The guards then turned to leave, waiting just outside the door.   
"Ahhh, much better. It gets rather crowded in here..."  
A foot to the back of her knee sent Shiri to the ground and Narius   
leaned over her, a dagger in his left hand. She tried to kick out at him, but he   
straddled her knees, effectively pinning them, while he bent forward to claim   
her mouth with his.   
She squirmed beneath him, trying to get away from his foul stench. But   
nothing she did could keep him away for long. He caught both her wrists in a   
powerful grip and held them above her head while he thrust his tongue into her   
mouth. Shiri shut her eyes and tried to distance herself from what was happening   
to her body, as she had always done before. A strip of leather wound itself   
around her wrists, immobilizing them.   
Narius sat up, still straddling her legs and grinned at her. He licked his   
lips in anticipation and toyed with the dagger in his hand. "Pay attention, boy.   
This is how you pleasure a woman." He informed Iolaus who was straining   
against his chains angrily. Narius simply chuckled and drew the dagger slowly   
along Shiri's jaw line.   
She glared at him and spat in his face. "I love it when you do that." He   
told her, casually wiping the spittle from his cheek with one hand, while the   
other found her breast beneath the faded leather. He moaned softly as he felt   
her beneath his touch once more.  
Iolaus lost it. He had barely contained his rage when Narius had forced   
Shiri to kiss him, but this he could not stand. "Hey, asshole! Get your hands   
off her!" He screamed but got no reaction. So he launched into a very detailed   
description of Narius' personal habits. This got some attention. Narius paused   
in his exploration of Shiri's body long enough to shoot him a look that could   
stop a wild boar in its tracks. To Iolaus, however, it was a sign of victory.   
He grinned, "Oh, hit a little too close to home?" he asked innocently, "Well,   
they say the truth hurts..."  
Narius' face darkened, if there was one thing he hated, it was to be   
interrupted while he was with one of his girls. "Guard!" He shouted, and a man   
quickly entered the tent. He took a quick look at Shiri struggling beneath the   
warlord, before his gaze found Narius' glare. "Find something to gag him with,   
would you? I don't like interruptions." The guard simply nodded and proceeded   
to obey the order, despite Iolaus' taunts and protests. The task complete he   
then returned to his post, leaving the warlord to smirk at the seething hunter.   
"Better. Now watch closely..."  
He slid the dagger through the laces of her bodice slowly, letting each   
thread part, allowing the material to loosen ever so slightly before continuing.   
Soon the laces were completely destroyed and the leather slid off to expose the   
twin mounds of Shiri's breasts. Narius grinned. "Now the real fun begins, eh,   
precious?" His callused fingers roamed around her newly exposed skin and Shiri   
squirmed uncomfortably.   
Once more he leaned forward to kiss her, ignoring the muffled screams   
coming from behind him. Shiri bit his lower lip as hard as she could, tasting   
the coppery tang of blood. He pulled back quickly, wiping blood from his lip and   
backhanded her. Shiri felt his hand roam further down her body, stopping just   
below her skirt, she bucked desperately, trying to stop what was happening. But   
his hand continued upward, and Shiri could only lock eyes with the terrified blue orbs that stared at her from the chair, and pray. _Artemis, help us. Please, I beg you._ Then Narius took her violently and all coherent thoughts fled from her mind as her world shank to those expressive blue eyes that seemed to share every moment of her misery.   
  



	5. Chapter 5

Hercules reached the palace at daybreak, just as Jason was preparing to   
take petitioners. He charged through the reception hallway, ignoring the protests of the guards as well as Jason's personal aide. Without waiting for an answer he threw open the door into the grand hall and sprinted to where his friend was conversing with a guard, organizing for the day.  
"Jason!"  
A guard ran up behind him and grabbed the young demi-god,   
attempting to pull him bodily out of the room. Jason looked up, his eyes   
expressing his surprise at seeing Hercules.   
"Hercules? What?"  
"I'm sorry your majesty, he didn't listen to us." The aide babbled as he   
helped try to push Hercules out. "It won't happen again."  
"Jason! Wait, it's Iolaus!" Hercules called desperately, straining against   
the hold of both guards and the aide.  
Jason held up a hand, and the guards immediately stopped pulling at   
Hercules. "Leave us." The aide hesitated and Jason smiled, "It's alright.   
Postpone my petitioners until after lunch, I will see them then."  
"But my lord..."  
"I said, leave us." Jason repeated with a stern glance. The aide blanched   
and nodded, hurriedly following the guards out of the room. Jason turned to the   
demi-god. "What's wrong?"  
"It's Iolaus." Hercules repeated, his eyes slightly unfocused.   
"Yeah, I got that. Where is he? What's going on?"  
"He's gone. He was hunting and now he's gone."   
Jason frowned and looked at his friend more closely, Hercules was   
trembling slightly, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat and he didn't   
look well at all. "Okay. Sit down, relax and tell me what happened. Did you   
run all the way here from Cheiron's?"  
Hercules shook his head and moved on unsteady feet to the chair Jason   
offered. "We were camping out by Mother's. Iolaus went off to find us food. He   
didn't come back. I went looking for him and found this..." He held out Iolaus'   
vest miserably. Jason took it slowly, examining it closely. Hercules swallowed   
and continued. "Artemis showed up, and told me Iolaus was in danger. Some   
warlord's got him..."  
"Okay, so we go after him. No big. Look, Iolaus can handle himself,   
this warlord obviously doesn't know who he's dealing with..."  
Hercules shook his head miserably, "He serves Hera. Jase, he serves   
Hera and he's got Iolaus. Even if he doesn't realize who he is, Hera'll recognize him. You know she will, and she'll get this guy to...to..." His face crumpled and he let the tears flow. His shoulders shaking from exertion and worry. "He's in trouble again and it's all my fault."  
"Whoa! Back up there! How is this your fault?" Jason knelt beside his   
friend and placed a supporting hand on his shoulder. "Iolaus went hunting, for   
some reason this warlord decided to take him. There's nothing you could have   
done."  
"I could have gone with him."  
"Why? You never do. Why should this time be any different? Do you   
know why this warlord took him? Maybe it was random."  
"I don't think so. Artemis said something about a follower of hers   
being in trouble too. Maybe he tried to help them..."  
"Alright. So where is this warlord's camp. I'll send in my soldiers,   
we'll get Iolaus and you'll be back beating him with a staff by tomorrow night."  
"It's to the east of the river. With Artemis helping us, we should be   
able to find it easily."  
"Great. I'll cancel my meetings today and we'll get cracking."  
Hercules rose to join him but his knees buckled, finally letting the   
tremendous strain Hercules had put on them catch up. Jason caught him easily   
and lowered him back down. "No you don't. Let me do the planning. You get   
some rest."  
"But..."  
"That's enough. You're exhausted. You ran in here from beyond your   
Mother's place. You need rest, Herc. You'll be no help to Iolaus if your nerves   
are shot and you get your head smashed in. So get some sleep. I can plan this.   
I'll wake you up and we'll go over the final plan. Deal?"  
"Deal." Hercules muttered, somewhat reluctantly.   
"Good." Jason called for his guards and the entered. "Take Hercules to   
the guest room. Make him stay there if you have to." Then he turned to   
Hercules. "You're gonna go with them, okay? No fusses, I want you to sleep or   
you won't come with us to take out this warlord. Is that understood?" Hercules   
nodded sullenly. "Okay, now go. And I want my military adviser in the war   
room in ten minutes!"  
The guards left with Hercules in tow and Jason set to work, barking   
orders at various aides. He had an assault to plan, and one very angry son   
of Zeus to deal with. He heaved a sigh. This was going to be a long day.  
  
Iolaus blinked and the room swam into focus. He was lying on hard   
stone, a heavy weight around his ankles spoke of the manacles that he knew he   
would find. Sunlight trickled in through a grate set high in the wall and a   
large metal door seemed the only way out of the room. So it was morning already.   
Iolaus couldn't remember having fallen asleep, though he must have. _Or   
someone 'helped' me get to sleep._ The last thing he remembered clearly was   
the look of stark fear and determination in Shiri's eyes as Narius had forced   
himself upon her.   
Shiri. Iolaus slammed a fist against the wall. He'd failed her. He'd sat   
there watching, helpless as she'd been subjected to...to that. There were no   
words he knew strong enough to describe Narius and his camp. No punishment   
would ever be great enough to erase their evil. And he could do nothing to stop   
it.   
With a growl of frustration he got to his feet, ignoring the throbbing   
ache in his head, which all but proved his theory that he had had help getting to   
sleep. With nothing better to do, Iolaus prowled around his cell, feeling the   
walls and tapping, listening for hollowness. All the while he was coming up with   
creative ways to make Narius pay for what he had done.   
He had found nothing by the time a bowl of moldy water and stale   
bread was slid beneath the heavy door. Looking distastefully at the meager meal   
before him, Iolaus nudged the tray with his foot experimentally. Nothing moved   
within the water and Iolaus hesitantly dipped a finger into the slop, tasting it   
slowly. He almost gagged at the taste, but forced himself to swallow. It didn't   
appear to be poisoned. Somehow he figured Narius wasn't really the type to use   
poison anyway. Against his better judgment Iolaus finally gave in a scarfed   
down the food, if you could call it that. It did little to quell the hunger   
pains in his always over active stomach.   
He resumed his search of the small room, finding nothing. Not like   
he'd really expected anything, but it had been a nice possibility. With nothing   
left to preoccupy him, his mind inevitably turned to Shiri and what she must be   
going through. A noise outside the cell door interrupted his darkening thoughts   
and his head shot up to take in the door. A key turned noisily in the lock and   
the heavy door swung open. Two guards immediately rushing and brandished spears   
at the young hunter, while behind them Narius strolled in.   
When he saw the warlord Iolaus nearly lost it. Only the presence of two   
very sharp spears pointed at his chest kept him from ripping the larger man limb   
from limb. So he contented himself with cursing at the man using the strongest   
and most vulgar words he could think of. All he got for his efforts was a   
chuckle.   
"Iolaus, isn't it?" He asked amiably, pacing in front of his prisoner.   
"You have cost me a great deal of trouble, young man. I do not like to be   
challenged. By anyone." A dangerous glare replaced the fake smile. "So, I am   
now faced with the question of how to deal with you. An interesting dilemma   
I'm sure you'll agree."  
"All this trouble for me?" Iolaus asked cheekily, "Why I'm flattered..."   
Narius fixed the hunter with a glare, "And suddenly I'm struck with an   
idea. Bring him." He whirled and left the cell. The two guards grabbed Iolaus'   
arms and after releasing him from the shackles, proceeded to drag him from the   
cell. _Now why do I get the feeling this isn't a good thing?_  
He was thrown to the ground in heap. Turning he saw the guards   
beating a hasty retreat towards the nearest door. Looking around he noticed that   
he was in the middle of an...arena?? _Uh oh._ The stone walls curved away   
from him, a good eight feet tall. _Where in Tartarus did he find an arena??_  
A harsh laugh broke through his thoughts and he whirled to find Narius   
standing atop the stone wall, a look of amusement on his scarred face. He made   
a motion and a door ground slowly open on the far side of the arena. Iolaus   
glanced warily at the warlord before turning to face whatever emerged from the   
door.   
Almost timidly his opponent emerged into the light. He stood barely   
half a head taller than Iolaus and looked nothing like the fearsome fighter Iolaus  
had been expecting. His armor was too big for him, the sword in his hands evidently   
too long. A slave, Iolaus realized. Narius probably has his wife held hostage to make   
him fight. Suddenly Iolaus' hatred for the other man grew again. The man took one   
look at Iolaus and blanched.   
"M-my lord! He is but a child!"  
"You question my resolve, slave? You will fight or your daughter shall   
bed with me tonight!"  
If possible the man paled even more, "NO! Spare her, I will fight." He   
then looked at Iolaus, apology written all over his face. "I have no choice."  
Iolaus found himself nodding. "Just hang in there. Help is on the way."   
The other man regarded him like he'd just told him the world was round.  
"You don't get it do you? There is no help. No one knows we're   
here..."  
Iolaus merely grinned. "Don't bet on that."  
A loud gong rang and without warning the man attacked, swinging his   
sword up high. Iolaus dove left, under the swing and rolled to his feet. He   
glanced around him frantically for a weapon. A pile of bones was the only   
possibility. He made a dash for them, diving into a roll as he felt the sword   
whistle through the air behind him. He came up with a long white leg bone   
clutched in one hand and backed away from the desperate slave before him.  
"I won't fight!" He declared, shooting a look of defiance at the warlord   
who seemed to be enjoying the show.   
He simply shrugged. "Then you will die."  
"Hey, death's better than having to look at your ugly face!" Iolaus   
retorted as he dodged another swing.   
"Why do you taunt him?" The older man whispered, still advancing on   
the young cadet. "He will destroy you."  
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Iolaus complained. "He's   
nothing but a bully."  
"A bully with the queen of the gods backing him."  
"I've had this conversation before. That horse-faced bitch is all   
talk...and she knows it too."  
He blocked a swing aimed at his head, and shoved hard. The man flew   
backwards and landed in the dirt, his sword flying. Iolaus retrieved the sword   
and stood above his opponent. He saw the man cowering before him, "Relax, I   
meant what I said. I won't hurt you. And I'll find a way to save your daughter."   
He spun and launched the sword at where Narius stood on the wall. It missed by   
a long shot, lodging itself in the stone. But the message was clear, nonetheless.  
"You're gonna have to kill me yourself, coward!"  
"You will fight in earnest."  
"Or what? You'll kill me? We discussed this already..."  
"You will fight..." Narius repeated as a struggling female figure   
appeared beside him. Iolaus recognized her immediately.   
"Shiri! If you hurt her..."  
"She is unharmed...relatively."  
"Uh huh. And if I fight you'll do what?"  
"I will leave her be."   
Iolaus regarded the warlord with suspicion, "Yeah, right. For one   
night? Why should I believe you?"  
"It is not only Shiri's life I bargain with. For every time you refuse to   
fight, one slave shall be punished, perhaps even killed. The choice is yours if   
you wish to have all those deaths on your conscience..."  
Iolaus visibly slumped, "Why?"  
"A test. You will fight, maggot, or you will die and so will they."  
Guards re-entered the arena and took the older man away. Soon Iolaus   
was left standing in the center of the ring alone. He went to the wall and   
tried to pry the sword loose. After several hard tugs it came away in his hands.   
Then the door creaked open again and five warriors stepped out. Unlike the last man,   
all five of these men were powerfully built. Their muscles could be seen rippling   
beneath the cloth they wore. Slaves again. Gladiators. Narius was evidently into   
the blood sport scene. So much so that he trained his slaves to fight.   
Backing away slowly Iolaus frantically tried to think of a way out of   
this that wouldn't involve death. Either his own or those of the five men before   
him. He came up blank, all the tricks Cheiron had taught him suddenly very dim   
in his memory. _Gods, I wish Herc was here._ Then he realized what he was   
thinking and stopped. _Or not, since Hera would have him fried on the spot..._  
With a savage growl the men attacked, three flying high, two low.   
Iolaus held his ground as long as possible before he dove to the side. He was   
rewarded with a loud crack as one unlucky gladiator crashed head-first into the   
wall behind him. The other four, however, managed to avoid such a fate. They   
began closing in on the young cadet.   
"Really, guys. This is some introduction. My name's Iolaus...and you   
are?" He got only a growl in return. "Oh...tough crowd." They attacked again   
and Iolaus flipped over the charge landing behind three of them. The other,   
unfortunately, was a little late on the charge and was still behind him. Before   
Iolaus could let loose with another quip he felt strong arms encircle his chest   
and lift him bodily off the ground...crushing him.   
He sputtered and kicked out desperately, feeling his foot connect. The   
giant that held him barely seemed fazed. _Come on, Iolaus. Think!_ He threw   
back his head, connecting solidly with the man's nose. And suddenly he was   
lying in a heap, gasping for breath, the other man writhing in pain. _Hey, what   
do you know! It worked!_ He rolled to avoid a foot that crashed down near his   
head and sprang up, sword in hand.   
"You boys really need to work on your social skills, you know that?"   
Then he charged, holding the sword horizontally across his body, striking the   
surprised warriors with the flat edge and bowling them over. "I mean, not only   
does your approach need work, but your dancing is just graceless. I've seen a   
sack of potatoes with better moves than all of you put together..."  
One got to his feet and charged, only to be met by Iolaus' foot as it   
lashed out and connected with his neck. He fell hard and didn't move. They   
other two moved in concert, their arms outstretched they ran at Iolaus, catching   
him at the collarbone and flinging him against the wall. And arm at his throat   
prevented him from sliding down. He looked up into murderous black eyes as he   
felt the pressure on his windpipe slowly increase. He kicked out and connected   
with a kneecap. A scream of pain as it shattered and one assailant was out for   
the count. He still had the gorilla at his throat to deal with, however, and   
his air supply was getting dangerously low.  
He gurgled and trashed in the iron grip. Kicking, flailing,   
biting...nothing seemed to have any effect. _Herc..._ More air left his starved   
lungs and the big man grinned in triumph. Iolaus' fingers brushed desperately   
against the stone wall, finding a loose stone. They worked frantically to free it.   
When it came loose he almost dropped it, but managed to catch it just in   
time. Fighting back the blackness that threatened to close in over his vision,   
knowing it was all over if this didn't work he swung the rock down as hard as   
he could on the back of the giant's neck. He heard a crack, saw the life fade   
slowly from those black eyes as the other man slowly crumpled to the ground,   
bringing Iolaus down with him.   
Weakly, Iolaus pushed the hand away from his throat and hauled   
himself up using the wall. He greedily sucked in the sweet air while he looked   
around for the source of the next threat. He blinked once in shock when he   
realized that all five warriors were either unconscious or severely injured.   
Slowly a grin worked its way onto his face.   
"Impressive." A voice called from above and Iolaus fixed Narius with a   
withering stare.   
"Glad you approve." His voice was hoarse and his throat felt like it was   
on fire from the very effort of speaking. A loud crack of thunder split the   
silence, stopping Iolaus' next reply. Lightning streaked from the sky and when   
it faded two peacock eyes could be seen in the clouds. Iolaus stopped breathing.   
_Oh shit...._  
"Apparently, I'm not the only one who noticed...Great Hera! Do you   
approve?"  
An ethereal voice answered his question, the mere sound enough to send   
shivers down into Iolaus' very soul. "It is he. Iolaus of Thebes. Friend to my   
bastard step-son."  
"And which one would that be?" Iolaus asked before he could stop   
himself. The peacock eyes stared at him and he swallowed hard. _Stupid move,   
Iolaus..._  
"Tomorrow night. His blood will flow at my altar tomorrow night   
during the full moon and Hercules shall be made to suffer."  
"So you have wished, so it will be done." Narius told the eyes, his head   
bowed.  
Another flash of lightning, this one landing not three feet from Iolaus'   
face, split the sky and the peacock eyes were gone. Leaving only the   
disembodied laughter and the haunting words: "You will be mine, hunter."  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Hercules was not happy with the way things were going. His quick,   
easy rescue mission had been taken out of his hands. Jason had finally had   
enough of his 'helpful' suggestions and ordered him out of the war room. Dusk   
found the young demi-god pacing in the main hallway. He was so lost in his   
worry for Iolaus that even the indignant shouts and protests of the merchants   
and soldiers unlucky enough to be caught in his path didn't reach him anymore.   
He wanted to leave. Now. It had been a day since he'd last seen Iolaus, and his   
mind had been busy that whole time coming up with creative tortures that might   
have befallen his best friend.   
The door to the war room swung open at the far end of the hall and Hercules  
double-timed to the entryway. "Well?"  
"We'll leave at dawn." Jason told him.  
"Dawn? Why wait? Iolaus could be dead by the time we get there."  
"Hercules, it's dark. We can't find the camp without light. This warlord will   
still be there..."  
Shaking his head, Hercules cut off the young king, "We don't need sunlight, Jase.  
Artemis is on our side. Have you even looked outside?" He practically dragged the young   
king to the window. "See? Almost as bright as day. You can stay here if you like, I've   
had enough of this. I'm leaving now."  
"Okay, I'll grant you the light, but we can't leave yet, we're not prepared..."  
"Jason, this is Iolaus we are talking about. I sat around while you planned for   
hours, I even tried to relax, but now you're saying that I have to leave him out there  
with a warlord and Hera? NO way, I'm going to find him. I'll see you there." With that   
he turned and stalked out of the palace, ignoring the protests and threats from behind him.  
He knew Jason would follow him as soon as humanly possible. He even knew that   
the hour or so he would save by leaving now would amount to nothing in the scheme of   
things, if this warlord were as powerful as Artemis hinted, not even his semi-divine   
strength would help him free Iolaus alone. This knowledge he ignored. He was moving   
now, doing something for his friend. That thought offering at least some comfort.  
He traveled through the night, the moon's bright guiding light never wavering.   
Sometimes he was sure he'd heard Artemis' soft voice in the back of his mind, directing   
him where to go. It was around mid-day when Hercules first saw signs of a camp. The   
trails became more numerous and worn and the smell of smoke permeated the air.  
Only then did the young demi-god slow his pace. He crept forward to take in   
the camp, the stone walls testament to the length of time this warlord had been   
operating. He saw no sign of Iolaus, and the thought didn't really comfort him   
as much as he thought it would. _At least he's not gutted and hung._ His mind   
pointed out helpfully.   
Swallowing past his worry he set to work planning the entry point and   
angle of attack for the army he knew was on its way. _Hang in there, Iolaus.  
We're coming._  
  
Iolaus was not having a good day. But then having terrified servants falling  
all over themselves to make him look presentable for his pending sacrifice tended   
to have that kind of effect on his mood. He'd spent another long night in Narius'   
tent and had woken up to cold anger yet again. The man sickened him. He had   
actually offered Shiri as a reward to one of his lieutenants. For what, Iolaus had   
no idea, nor did he care. There sheer idea of such a reward, the look of excitement   
and anticipation on the other man's face was too much. _If I get out of this, the   
first thing I do will be to make sure you can never harm another soul._  
Unfortunately the prospect of getting out of this particular situation alive   
was beginning to disappear slowly but surely. With an irritated sigh the hunter blew   
a strand of his blond hair out of his eyes for the hundredth time. He looked down at   
the young girl with the haunted eyes who was meticulously mending his patched vest.   
"You don't have to do that." He told her gently, risking a glance at the   
heavy-set guards who were following him around during his many stops. "Really,   
that old thing has been falling apart for years..." He forced a smile. Nothing,  
she didn't even look up.   
With an inward sigh, Iolaus lowered his voice and tried again. "Don't be   
afraid. Help's on the way, they'll be here any second." He was rewarded   
by a dubious look as she paused in her task.  
"I'm serious. No one ever believes me when I say that. You wouldn't happen   
to know why?"   
She stared at him, his vest completely forgotten. A fearful glance darted   
away from him towards the guards. "Are you crazy? Are you trying to get me   
killed?" She hissed at him.   
"They'd kill you for listening to my ramble?" He asked, "I can put on a   
pretty convincing 'doomed-man' rant if they ever got curious." He flashed her  
a grin.   
She eyed him curiously as she continued to work on his vest. "Narius   
plans to kill you, you do know that right?"  
"Details, details. Keyword in that sentence being 'plans'. I got   
my own plans."  
"And those would be?"  
"Well, I was thinking, I always wanted to be a bard. Ever since I   
was little kid, so I figure, while I'm up there on that altar and everybody's   
staring at me it'll be my big chance. Wanna hear my routine?" He inquired.  
"You are crazy." The girl told him, her eyes wide.  
Iolaus shook his head, "Not crazy, just stubborn. I'm Iolaus, by the way."  
"Amera, and I know who you are. Everyone does after you survived the arena."  
"Well Amera, it's nice to meet you." He flicked his eyes up as the guards   
shifted position. He motioned her closer, "I've got friends out there who are going   
to be coming after me. I don't know when they're coming, but they should have   
been searching for two days now. When you get back to the pits, spread the word.   
I want everyone to be ready. If it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna stop Narius."   
She nodded silently, a small smile on her lips. "The old ones were right.   
You are the Chosen."  
_Chosen?_ A rustle at the entranceway stopped him from questioning her   
further as they both looked up sharply. Turning his attention back to the girl,   
Iolaus looked into her chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that were filled with terror   
and pain, too much pain for one so young, and his hatred of Narius grew again   
if possible. It only served to make Iolaus more determined to stop this man,   
no matter the cost. "Always keep hope." He told her, a brief smile playing across   
his lips.  
He missed her nod as Narius stormed into the tent in all his glory. He strode  
up to the post Iolaus had been bound to and looked him over like a villager would   
overlook a piece of meat at the market. "I suppose this will have to do." He sneered.  
"Hey, if I'm too small, you can always throw me back." Iolaus offered helpfully,  
an enigmatic smile on his face.   
Narius only glared at him. "You won't be so disrespectful on Hera's altar."   
The older man snarled.  
"Don't bet on it." Iolaus shot back, meeting the dangerous stare with one   
of his own. He was vaguely aware of Amera, kneeling by his feet staring at him in   
ill-concealed terror. _If she thinks this is bad, she should see me talk back to   
Ares._ He wanted to toss her a wink, to calm her fears, but he didn't dare draw   
attention to her. The black eyes narrowed, obviously the only response Iolaus was   
likely to get. "So, is it a deal? If I can be disrespectful on Hera's altar, you   
let me go. If I can't...well, I'll do your laundry for a month. Good?"   
Narius simply glowered at him. Iolaus shrugged as much as possible under   
the circumstances and continued anyway. "No good huh? How about I'll do your   
laundry for two months and I'll even throw in a back rub free of charge."  
The warlord made a motion with his hand and before Iolaus could react   
he was hit from behind, the blow hard enough to cause blackness to swim in over  
his vision. Struggling to hold on to the elusive threads of consciousness Iolaus   
dimly heard Narius issue orders to his men. He heard the words 'Teach him some   
respect' somewhere in the dialogue. Barely managing to comprehend their meaning   
before he felt his arms encased in an iron grip as he was dragged bodily from   
the 'preparation chamber'.  
  
Shiri paced irritably in the small tent she had been placed in. The chain   
was back in place around her throat, making it all but impossible for her to   
escape without the use a lock pick. A lock pick that Narius had had the presence   
of mind to keep away from her prison.  
Another shriek wafted through the tent flaps from the slave pits and Shiri   
winced visibly. It had been several hours since they had dragged Iolaus, barely   
conscious, into the impromptu torture chamber and still they kept it up. She   
wondered briefly if there was anything left of the young hunter. Surely no   
one could withstand such prolonged torture without breaking. Even her own   
admittedly long sessions becoming intimate with the business end of a whip   
hadn't lasted this long.   
_There's got to be a way out..._ Trying to ignore the hoarse cries Shiri   
inspected the post to which the chain was attached. The wood was chaffed away   
from the hours of her imprisonment when she had tugged, yanked and pulled at   
the chain uselessly. Other than that not much could be used to free her. _Unless..._   
Her head shot up as an idea occurred to her, her hazel eyes searching for   
the one vital item. _Please let it be in here..._ Her heart sank when she didn't   
find the item she was looking for. _Wait..._ There in the corner, under the oil   
lamp... _Yes! Now if only I can reach it..._   
Stretching to the end of her chain she groped with her fingers. She felt   
her fingers brush against it and strained harder. Her fingers closed around the   
smooth surface and a wolfish grin spread over her face. Dragging the trowel back   
into view and set to work digging at the dirt surrounding the post.   
It was slow going, but eventually there was a hole about a foot deep and   
several inches around. The bottom of the post was finally visible. She shoved   
with all her weight and slowly the post began to move. Gritting her teeth she   
pushed until there was space large enough for her to slip the chain collar off the end.   
The guards outside had begun to notice the tent's slow collapse and Shiri   
moved as quickly as possible to remove the chain collar. When the guards finally   
made it through the flap she was ready for them. Holding the chain in both hands   
she swung the heavy collar at the stunned guards.   
The heavy iron ring hit the first guard square in the face, knocking him   
out of the fight. The other guard, however, dodged backward just in time,   
avoiding the wildly swinging chain.   
He drew his sword and took up a defensive position in front of her. Shiri  
let him get into position before whipping the chain at him hard. He dodged   
backwards again and called out. Shiri cursed inwardly, her eyes darting about   
the rapidly collapsing tent for someway to finish this off quickly. With the   
guards latest shout reinforcements would be coming soon.   
With a quick battle cry of her own Shiri suddenly launched herself at   
him, chain swinging ferociously. The guard backpedaled frantically but caught   
a glancing blow across the temple from the iron ring. He went down hard and   
Shiri darted around him quickly, out into the early afternoon air.   
The length of chain still fastened securely around her neck she was   
forced to carry the entire binding chain in her hands as she ran to prevent   
it from dragging behind her.   
Not risking looking back she broke for the trees that surrounded the camp,   
sprinting head long for the minimal shelter they offered. Behind her she heard   
shouts and curses as the remaining soldiers began to notice her flight. One   
shout was louder, more vulgar than the rest. It had to be Narius.   
Her heart in her throat she pushed harder. Footfalls echoed behind her   
but still she kept going. If she stopped now, Iolaus was dead. She had to go   
get help, bring someone back to help the hunter. This was no longer about her   
personal survival or even her peace of mind. That had long since vanished   
beneath Narius' cruel touch. Nothing could bring back the innocence she'd lost.   
She ran now to save the one true essence of good she'd ever met. Her time with  
Narius had changed her, damaged her beyond repair, though she'd never admit   
it to anyone, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to the golden hunter   
who had risked himself to help a stranger.   
Someone leapt at her, grabbing her ankle and pulling her foot backwards.   
She stumbled and fell, twisting in midair to kick out at her attacker. Her foot  
connected with a jaw and the man went down, dazed. But the others had caught up.   
Scrambling to her feet she flicked her chain, forcing them to back up. Whipping   
once more for good measure she turned and ran again for the trees.  
She made it past the tree line before the next attack came. Two soldiers   
from the front gate had snuck around the camp at the first alarm and were   
waiting for her in the trees. One grabbed her arm as she ran past and slammed   
her into a tree, knocking the breath from her lungs. As she tried to catch   
her breath he pinned her up tightly against the rough bark.  
Once she recovered enough to look up she found herself staring into   
ice blue eyes. She struggled for a minute, but to no avail. She was well and   
truly trapped. With a silent curse she began looking for some sort of weapon.   
The first blow came without warning. It was hard enough to make her black out   
for a second and would surely leave a mark.   
"Bitch." The man growled at her as he raised his hand to strike her again.   
"You put my brother in the med tent. Hurt his arm real bad, healer says it'll   
have to come off." He hit her again, surprised when she didn't cry out. "I'm   
gonna make you scream, girlie. Narius said any man who catches you today can   
have his way with you. Guess this be my lucky day." He moved to hit her again   
but his fist was stopped mid swing.   
"What the-? Jomin what do you think you're doing?" The soldier looked up   
into pale blue eyes that were as hard as rock. Belatedly he noted that Jomin was   
unconscious on the ground and he was now facing a blond teenager.  
His grin turned into a scowl. "Hey punk, this ain't none of your business."  
"That's no way to treat a lady." The blond boy said mildly. Tightening his   
grip on the other man's fist.   
"This bitch ain't no lady, brat. She knows her place, just like you   
should. Now beat it before you get in over your head."  
The boy nodded reasonably and released the fist, "Have it your way." He   
waited until the soldier's grin returned before slamming his own balled up fist   
into the man's face. His eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped to the   
forest floor, unconscious.   
She edged away from the tree, her hands gripping the chain defensively,   
as she eyed the stranger warily. _Second blond, blue-eyed guy to help me out of  
a bind this week. Shiri, you've set a new record for yourself._  
"Thank you." She whispered.  
"No problem, you alright? He hit you pretty good before I got here."   
The boy's voice was kind, concerned. Shiri wondered briefly what he was doing   
in the woods so close to the camp.  
Her hand drifted up to brush the lump on her cheek, "It's nothing. I've   
had worse."  
"Good." He moved closer slowly, keeping his hands in sight at all times.   
"I'm just going to take that chain off you if that's okay. You caused quite a   
stir in that camp, we'll need to get away from here quickly." She nodded and   
he grasped the collar around her neck in both hands and pulled them apart.   
The collar snapped as if it were made of brittle wood not iron. Shiri stared   
incredulously.   
"How'd you do that? Who are you?"  
"How is a long story, as for who, my name's Hercules..." He trailed off   
as he noticed the look of pure joy on the girl's face. "What?"  
"Hercules? The Hercules? Oh thank the gods. You're Iolaus' friend aren't   
you? You have no idea how glad I am to see you! We have to hurry..."  
Hercules quickly put up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Whoa, slow   
down there. Where's Iolaus? And who are you?"  
Shiri took a deep breath, it would not do to frighten her only available   
help. "I'm Shiri, I'm a... a slave in the camp. I escaped three nights ago into   
the woods, Narius, the warlord, sent a dozen men after me. They surrounded me   
at the river, I would have been captured then and there but Iolaus helped me.   
We were looking for you when..." She stopped suddenly, her face going white.   
She looked up with wide eyes at the demi-god.   
"Keep going," Hercules prodded gently, fighting back his impatience.   
"I'm not going to hurt you. What happened?"  
"Hera's archers happened. They knocked us out, the next thing I know,   
I'm stuck back in that bastard's tent and Iolaus is being dragged in to make   
me co-operate. He's planning on sacrificing Iolaus tonight. We have to hurry,   
I escaped to get help..."  
Hercules took this all in as calmly as possible. A cold knot of fear   
formed again in his gut when he heard of Iolaus' pending sacrifice. His   
mind was running circles around the word and it was physical effort to   
concentrate on the present. He took a deep, steadying breath and thought  
through his options.   
"Okay, Shiri, we'll get Iolaus out. I promise, okay? I've got friends   
on the way, once they get here we'll go in. When did you last see Iolaus?"   
"This morning, after...well after Narius was satisfied with me, he sent   
Iolaus back to the slave pits. Right before I took off I saw them drag him   
into the uh, 'discipline' area. He didn't look too good. That was about two   
hours ago, I don't know what kind of condition he's in right now."  
Hercules didn't answer her; he stared in the direction of the camp with   
his jaw clenched tightly and cold anger in his eyes. Shiri swallowed, "For   
what it's worth, I'm sorry I got him into this."  
"It's not your fault this Narius is a monster. If you want to know the   
truth, I think Hera had more to do with this than you ever did. She's been   
looking for a way to hurt me ever since I stole that damn chalice." His voice   
was little more than a growl, "Look, let's get away from this place, climb a   
tree, see if we can spot Iolaus. If we stay out in the open like this, we'll   
get caught too and then we won't be able to do anything."  



	7. Chapter 7

It was little more than twenty minutes before Jason's army marched   
through the woods surrounding the camp. Hercules and Shiri from their   
positions high in the treetops saw them coming from a great distance and   
were waiting impatiently for the group of men just outside the perimeter of   
sentries.   
When Jason rounded the bend he saw his long-time friend pacing worriedly   
in the middle of the trail. Hercules looked up at the sound of the horses with   
obvious relief.   
"Where in Hades have you been?" He demanded, dashing over to the young   
king. He looked up at the ever-darkening sky and bit his lip. At dusk the   
warlord was planning to sacrifice his best friend to please his wicked   
tepmother. _Why do these things always happen to me? It sounds like a really   
bad bard's tale..._  
"We got here as fast as we could, one hundred men are not that easy to   
move you know." Jason caught the glower Hercules gave him and realized that   
now was not a time for jokes. He looked past the young demi-god and finally   
noticed the slave girl standing uncertainly behind Hercules. "Who's you're   
friend?"   
Hercules' head whipped around, he spotted Shiri and rushed to her side.   
Taking her hand to reassure her he lead her gently to the procession whispering   
soothing words in her ear. Her eyes were still wide as saucers as she took in the   
company of men and she approached cautiously, determination clear in her hazel eyes.  
"This is Shiri, she escaped from Narius, the local warlord. Iolaus was trying   
to help her when they were taken. She's offered her help in getting him out. Shiri,   
I'd like you to meet a good friend of both myself and Iolaus, this is Jason, King of   
Corinth."  
Shiri's eyes widened even more and she threw herself to her knees before Jason.   
Above her form Jason shot Hercules an irritated look and knelt next to the girl.   
"Shiri, you don't have to kneel. I'm not like other kings you've heard about."   
She didn't move. Jason gently cupped her chin in his hand and raised her head until   
she looked him in the eye. "Look at me." Slowly she did. "Good, now that I can see   
your face, we can be properly introduced. I'm Jason. I'd like you to call me by that,   
okay?" She nodded, still a little bewildered by the sudden meeting.  
Gathering her courage she looked up at the young king, "You know Iolaus?"  
He nodded and offered a hand to help her up. "He's one of my best-friends.   
Back at the academy we spent hours trying to get Herc to go on a date." He motioned   
to the other boy, who instantly blushed bright red.  
"Iolaus spoke of your coronation. I guess I figured he exaggerated a bit."  
"Nope, it really happened." He lost his smile, until now very prominent on his  
face. "I hate to ask this of you, but we need to know as much as we can about this   
Narius. You've spent the most time in his camp, if it's not too hard for you..."  
"You'd like me to share all my knowledge with you? I'll do whatever I can,   
we're going to have to hurry; it's going to be cut pretty close."  
As she recounted her tale Jason and Hercules both found themselves staring in   
grim fascination at this girl who had seen such horrors. Jason could feel his anger   
welling up as Shiri explained what Narius had used her and the other slave girls for.   
He hated slavery to begin with, having dealt before with the after-effects it had on   
the former slaves. Yet in all his years he had never encountered a victim of sexual   
slavery. Until now, and the thought of what the proud girl before him had to have   
been through was enough to make the young king see red.   
Shiri finished her explanation by directing the army to Hera's alter, where she   
thought the night's sacrifice would be taking place. "He usually picks a slave or a   
hunter he picks up in the woods. He makes us all gather to watch, sometimes he'll even   
force a family member to sacrifice their loved ones to save another, forcing them into   
an impossible decision. It's all amusement to him. It accomplishes two things at once,   
it pleases Hera and frightens the slaves into submission."  
"I'll kill him." Jason muttered. He raised his voice to address his commanding   
staff. "We'll hit the procession as they move to the alter. Take out as many guards as   
you can before they can organize a counter attack. From what we've been told, the guards   
have used the slaves as human shields in the past. We'll do what we can to prevent this.   
Usual protocols apply, but if anyone 'accidentally' runs into Narius with the pointy end   
of a sword I'll understand. I leave you to make preparations with your divisions. Good   
luck." They dispersed and Jason turned back to Hercules and Shiri.   
"Shiri, do you think its possible to get word to the slave pits about the attack?"  
Shiri thought for a moment, "I think so. It's been about three months since I've   
spent any amount of time in the pits but I doubt it's changed much. Some of the slaves   
managed to escape about nine months back through a hole behind the pens. It's been   
closed over, but there's a small window above that location that's only about a   
hundred yards from the tree line. If you're quick you could pass a message through   
the window when the guards change."  
"Good. I want you and Hercules to do that. Tell the slaves to be ready for   
anything on the way to the altar. Then get back here so we can regroup."  
Hercules cut in. "Jase, we don't know how long this'll take. Shiri knows where   
this path is. If she shows you now, we can meet you there after we've delivered the message."  
The king pondered this, looking up into the sky, the sun was continuing it's   
relentless descent. With a sigh he agreed to Hercules' plan and hurried after the girl.   
  
The camp was a hive of activity, like an anthill that had been stepped on,   
people swarmed about under the supervision of the guards, doing mundane tasks in   
preparation for the sacrifice. Some were busy preparing for the possibility of attack,   
while still others were organizing search parties for a missing slave.  
Hercules and Shiri crouched on the outskirts of the mayhem, half hidden by the   
dense foliage. "Over there, that little hut? That's the main slave pen. Right beside it   
is the guard's tent. Convenient huh?" Shiri pointed out the various landmarks for Hercules'   
benefit. "We're aiming for the little attachment onto the hut. Can you see it? There's a   
barred window about head height so the slaves won't suffocate. We should be able to get   
there when the guards switch."  
"How long do you think we'll have once we get there?"  
"Dunno. Depends on the squad. Anywhere from thirty seconds to a minute and a half if   
they're really sloppy."  
Hercules ran a hand nervously through his hair out of habit. He saw no sign of Iolaus   
anywhere, though Shiri had assured him that he would be kept in reasonable condition until   
the sacrifice, something about Hera not liking damaged goods. That comment had not gone   
over well with the worried demi-god, who had only sunk into a deeper state of anger and fear.   
Shiri grabbed his arm, and held a finger to her lips. The two of them froze in   
position as a pair of guards walked past, eyes intent on the woods. Shiri watched them pass   
with her heart in her throat. She felt certain they could hear her heartbeat pounding away,   
and waited for them to discover her and bring her back to Narius.   
But they didn't notice the two teenagers crouched in the brush and continued on their   
rounds until they reached the guard's tent. When they were finally out of sight Shiri let   
out her breath slowly and tried to slow her pulse.   
She nodded at the demi-god beside her and the two flew into action, creeping quickly   
but silently across the open space until they crouched beneath the small window of the slave   
pens. Shiri leaned across and whispered in the boy's ear, "Keep watch." He nodded to accept   
the responsibility.   
Shiri stood and tapped out a rhythm on the rotting wood by the window frame. She was   
answered a moment later, to which she tapped again. A face appeared in the window, dirty and   
grimy, but full of joy.   
"Shiri?" The girl at the window whispered. "What are you doing, girl? The whole camp's   
abuzz about your escape, Narius will kill you for sure this time, get out of here."  
"Shh...Amera, listen. I came back to warn you about an attack on the camp. A group of   
soldiers from Corinth are preparing to take Narius during the procession to the altar of Hera.   
They want any slave willing to hide a weapon or something for the procession, if you can. They   
know the guards use you as shields so they want you guys to be ready to fight."  
The girl behind the bars gasped, "Shiri, do you know what you're asking? Most of us, we   
don't have any idea how to use weapons."  
"Amera, this is your only chance, even if it's just a branch or something, you need to be   
ready. I don't have time to explain. Just trust me, please."  
"Okay, I'll spread the word. Get out of here before they catch you again."  
Shiri grinned, "They won't catch me. Third time's a charm." She cast a look at Hercules   
crouched below her and a thought struck her. "How's Iolaus?"  
Amera's eyes darkened. "Not so good. He's managed to really piss off Narius, again. I   
yhink he took your escape out on him." Shiri winced and Amera continued quickly, "They took   
him to mother to get treated and cleaned up afterwards. He was conscious, asking what all the   
fuss was about. We told him you got away and he just went all quiet with this goofy little grin,   
said something about Narius not knowing what was about to hit him."  
"That sounds like Iolaus, at least."  
"Oh yeah, he's still Iolaus, even after being beaten half to death he's still trying to lift   
everyone's spirits in the pits. Told some crazy story about the king of Corinth coming to rescue us.   
Then they came and took him to be prepped. That's all I know."  
"Thanks, Amera. Be ready, okay? And tell everyone else, okay? I've got to run. Take care." The   
dirty slave girl nodded and turned away from the window, inside Shiri could hear her speaking in   
low whispers to those around her and knew that within half an hour the entire slave population   
would know of the pending attack. She turned to Hercules and motioned for him to lead the way back   
to the trees.   
Without a word he nodded and crept quickly to their former hiding place. The two melted back   
into the scenery only seconds before the guards returned on their rounds.   
They remained silent while they traveled through the woods until they were a safe distance   
from the camp. Then Hercules turned expectant blue eyes to Shiri, asking questions without uttering   
a word.   
Shiri looked around quickly and apparently decided it was safe. "He's okay. The girl I spoke to   
said he was trying raise spirits and joke with the little ones after they brought him up from the   
'discipline' area."  
Hearing this, Hercules breathed a small sigh of relief, though his worry wasn't completely blunted.   
Iolaus had a nasty habit of ignoring his own pain if someone else was in need of help. That trait had   
already landed his friend close to death in Cheiron's care several times. _At least he's alive._  
"Okay. Let's go hook up with Jase. We've done all we can for now..."  



	8. Chapter 8

Iolaus was beginning to feel somewhat like a human punching bag. He sat   
quietly on a small cot in the slaves quarters nursing dozens of bruises and cuts. The guards had   
known what they were doing and hadn't left a spot on his body free of pain. With a small groan   
Iolaus gingerly rolled his shoulders, trying to ease some the kinks out of his stiff joints while   
he had mobility. He looked up when a quiet murmur passed through the assembled slaves. Many had   
gathered after he had been treated and 'prepared', to listen to his tales of adventure while they   
waited for the guards to bring them to the temple.   
Iolaus had been happy to oblige as it took his mind off of his pending sacrifice. Now,   
however, it seemed the slave population was growing restless. Iolaus felt himself tense in   
anticipation, half expecting Narius' guards to storm in at any second. He waited first ten   
seconds, then thirty, until a full minute had passed, and there was still no sign of the guards.   
He allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief, as he looked about the small hut again, eyes   
searching uselessly for a way out.  
Amera approached slowly, a cup of water in her hand. She held it out to him without a word   
and he took it gratefully. "Thanks."  
"It was the least I could do." She replied, shrugging her shoulders timidly. "You gave us   
hope, something we've never had before." The girl was quiet for a moment longer before she looked   
up at the blonde hunter, her eyes shining with hope. "Shiri came by earlier..."  
It took a moment for the words to register in the hunter's brain, and his head snapped up   
in shock when they did. Amera read the question in his eyes and grinned slightly. "She's safe,   
Narius thinks she's long gone. She ran into a friend of yours, someone called Hercules."  
The grin that lit up Iolaus' face rivaled the brightest summer day as he stared incredulously   
at the girl before him. "I told ya so." Was all he said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.   
"She said to tell you to be ready. They plan to attack on the way to temple, before Narius   
can ask Hera for help."  
Iolaus nodded...it sounded like something Herc would come up with. Despite his injuries   
Iolaus felt like taking Amera and spinning her around. Finally, he could do something to stop   
Narius. "Are the others ready to defend themselves?" He asked suddenly, an idea occurring to him.   
"They could be hurt in the line of fire if Herc attacks the procession."  
"That was the point of the warning, not only to warn you, but to let the slaves here know   
that this time we can hit back. Anyone who doesn't want to fight has been instructed to head for   
the trees when the attack comes. Everyone else is armed as well as they can. We are ready. It   
ends today."  
"Good, I don't want any of you hurt because of me."  
A commotion by the doorway cut off any reply the girl could have made as Narius barged into   
the small hut, preceded by three heavily armed guards. He made his way past terrified servants a   
look of distain and disgust very evident on his features.   
Swallowing past the sudden dryness in his throat Iolaus stood, albeit painfully, to confront   
the warlord, gently pushing Amera behind him into her mother's waiting arms. The guards flanked the   
young hunter; taking hold of his arms none too gently. He glared silently at them but didn't resist   
their hold.   
Narius came to a stop before him, his face twisted into a sneer as he took in the congregation   
of slaves, all of whom where watching the confrontation with rapt attention. He smiled without warmth   
before indicating to Iolaus. A guard stepped forward and placed heavy manacles onto his unresisting   
wrists.   
"Time to die for Hera's glory, maggot." He sneered in Iolaus' face as the hunter stared passively   
back at him. A small smirk played across the blonde's lips and he smiled back, meeting the dark gaze   
with one of his own.   
"Hera's glory, huh? That's a good one, I haven't heard that before..." He smirked as Narius   
seethed, drawing his fist back to strike the youth.  
The mailed fist stopped in mid-swing, barely five centimeters from Iolaus' face. Narius lowered   
his hand and glared at the young hunter a look of contempt on his face. "It won't work. You will die   
on the alter soon enough..."  
"Say what?"  
"Bring him. Hera shall teach him all the discipline he needs when his blood mingles with her on   
her alter and he shall be hers to command for all eternity." A harsh glare brought the point home and   
Iolaus felt an involuntary shiver run through him at the thought of spending eternity at the whim of   
the cruelest goddess of them all. _Herc, I sure hope you know what you're doing..._  
Iolaus was led out of the small hut into the pre-dusk twilight. The slaves were keep back from   
the door while a small army took up positions around their captive. Only when Iolaus was on his way   
to the temple were the slaves herded out of their hut and made to follow the doomed man and his escorts.   
For Iolaus the short walk to the clearing that housed Hera's temple felt like forever. His senses   
on alert for Hercules' attack he had to fight back the urge to jump at every little noise. And he was   
growing more and more nervous as the procession neared the clearing and there was still no sign of Hercules.   
The little looks of triumph Narius kept shooting in his direction didn't help any, either.  
A flash of light reflecting off metal in the trees was his only warning against the sudden attack   
by Jason's army. They burst out of the trees on either side of the small road with a suddenness that   
took Narius' men completely unawares.   
The guards nearest Iolaus instinctively grabbed his arms and attempted to physically drag him   
towards the temple, which was visible a mere 300 meters down the path. However, Iolaus was no longer   
there. At the first sign of attack he had thrown himself to the ground. From his position he was   
methodically kicking at the unprotected legs of his captors. A pair of hands reached for him and he   
kicked out wildly, scrambling as best he could with his bound hands to reach the edge of the circle   
of guards and his friends that were waiting out there. Mere feet from freedom a booted foot connected   
solidly with his midsection sending him down to the earth with a thud.   
Stunned from the blow, he reacted too late to the new pair of hands that roughly grabbed his   
shoulders and hauled him upright. The young warrior struggled and kicked but to no avail. The man   
holding him simply lifted him off the ground and held him by the scruff of his neck. _Well, when all   
else fails..._ "HEL-!" A rough hand closed over his mouth before he finished his cry and jerking his   
neck back painfully. Then Iolaus felt himself being dragged tossed unceremoniously over the huge man's   
shoulder and hauled off in the direction of the temple. _Uh oh...Uh...Herc? Turn around! Turn around   
NOW!!!_ Iolaus begged mentally, unable to cry for help due to the rough hand that remained over his mouth.   
If Hercules had heard his friend's mental cry he gave no indication as he continued to fight   
desperately with the knot of men that clogged up the trail. Trying to reach the center of the circle   
they formed and his best friend. The slaves had reacted perfectly, many of them scrambling immediately   
for the shelter of the trees. Others who had elected to fight picked up a branch or fallen weapon and   
joined in the fray with relish. Jason's army and the slaves made short work of the slavers, and soon   
all were unconscious and tied up quietly, or conscious and chained to a large tree, muttering curses   
and threats at their captors.   



	9. Chapter 9

"Hercules! Quickly, over here!" Jason called the distraught demigod over to the edge of the   
battleground where he knelt with his best tracker. "They were headed towards the temple." The tracker   
finished saying as the young cadet skidded to a halt, Shiri only paces behind.  
  
Hercules' eyes gained a haunted look as he looked towards the temple looming in the distance. "I'm  
coming buddy..." Then he was off and running. Sprinting towards the temple with all his semi-devine speed,  
not even pausing to see if the others were behind him.  
  
With a muttered curse Jason and Shiri gave pursuit, the young king throwing hurried instructions at  
his men to secure the slavers and help the newly freed slaves. The protests of the royal advisors fading  
quickly in the distance as the two teens ran into the temple.   
  
Shiri entered the temple a step behind Jason and almost ran into his back when he suddenly skidded to   
a halt on the rouch stone floor. A shiver passed through her when her gaze caught on the large shrine in the   
center of the dimly lit chamber. And her breath caught in her throat when she beheld the scene playing out   
directly below the peacock statue.   
  
Narius was front and center, a sneer creasing his scarred features as he turned to face the arriving   
rescue party. Two of his men were busily chaining Iolaus to the scarificial wall while the young cadet struggled  
wildly and cursed loudy. The remaining two of Narius' men had moved to flank their leader, effectively blocking   
Hercules' attempts to reach his friend.  
  
Hercules ignored all of this as he marched straight towards the struggling Iolaus. As he neared Narius the   
warlord drew his sword and glared at the approaching youth. With deliberate steps Hercules ducked under the sword  
of the first gaurd, lifting the man off his feet and sending him hurtling into the stone pillar without missing a   
beat. Shiri watched in satisfaction as Narius' sneer wavered slightly, then she launched herself around Jason, diving  
directly towards the second gaurd. As the second gaurd fell under Shiri's attack Jason darted in behind the battle and   
moved to take on the two who had finished securing Iolaus to the wall.   
  
Narius' sneer had by now disappeared all together. He stood before the seething demi-god, sword raised, a mocking   
tone to his words. "So you must be the infamous Hercules. Delighted to have you. I've prepared some special festivities  
for tonight. In honour of the Queen of the Gods." His scarred face again twisted into a smile that held all the warmth  
of a coiled snake.   
  
"Narius was it?" Hercules asked in a voice dripping with mock politeness. "It's always good to know the other guy's  
name before a fight. Makes finding the next of kin so much easier." His voice dropped to a growl as he uttered the last   
few words. With a yell he launched himself at the warlord, hitting him in the chest with both booted feet.   
  
Shiri threw the largest of the gaurds over her shoulder and watched as he hit the stone floor of the temple with a  
satisfying crunch. She watched him warily for a moment, making sure he wasn't anxious to continue the fight. When the guard  
remained motionless she looked up to pick her next traget. Jason was a few meters away, his sword a blur of motion as he   
fought the last of Narius' gaurds. He was doing okay for himself so Shiri whirled to look for Narius. And found him flying   
through the air for the third time, once again on the recieving end of one of Hercules' punches.   
  
Satisfied that both boys were okay, and that the gaurds were out of commision for the forseeable future, Shiri dug   
through the pockets of the nearest gaurd, searching for the keys to the manacles that held Iolaus. No luck. With a soft   
curse she hurried to the next gaurd and repeated the process. And again with the other unconcious gaurd. Nothing. Giving   
the last gaurd a good boot in the ribs to dispell some of her frustration Shiri turned to watch Jason's ongoing battle with  
the last gaurd. _Of all the rotten luck..._ "Jason! Big Ugly's got the keys!"  
  
The young king didn't pause in his swordplay when he heard her voice. His lips tightened and he shook his head grimly.  
Increasing the ferocity of his attack he again pressed forward, herding the gaurd into a corner. This had to end soon,   
before Narius got smart and called for back up. Seeing an opening he lunged forward, catching the key-ring with the tip of  
his sword and flinging the keys to the far end of the temple where Shiri quickly retrieved them. But Jason didn't stop there  
flipping onto his hands he donkey kicked the gaurd in the chest sending him crashing to the stone floor. A kick to the gut   
and a sword butt to the head and the man was out for the count.   
  
Breathing hard Jason finally allowed himself a smile. Shiri was at Iolaus' side, frantically working through the   
numerous keys on the ring. Hercules seemed to have Narius under control so Jason began tying up the gaurds. A cry from   
Narius stopped him short before he could take two steps toward the closest gaurd.   
  
"HERA!! I call upon you as a humble servant! Enemies have entered your temple, defaced it, mocked it and you, and   
they have prevented me from serving you. Hera! Answer me! Her-umph!"  
  
He cut off suddenly as Hercules' booted foot connected again with his chest and sent him sprawling. But the damage   
had been done, even as Hercules moved in to finish off the warlord a massive tremor shook the temple sending all four   
youths stumbling. Outside a crack of lightening pierced the brillent blue sky. And all movement in the temple came to a  
stop as the queen of the gods was suddenly standing in the middle of the altar room.  
  
"Uh oh" Shiri heard Iolaus breath as she continued to search for the correct key on the ring. Tossing a harried   
glance over her shoulder at the seething goddess she felt her breath catch but kept up her frantic pace. Narius' mocking   
laugh rang in her ears. Hercules and Jason both cried out at the same moment as she caught Iolaus' blue eyed gaze, found   
the key and turned the lock. A split second before Hera let loose a ball of glowing energy aimed directly at the two   
teens on the altar.   
  
Shiri caught a flash of Iolaus' blue eyes widening before she was suddenly in motion, propelled backwards by a hard  
shove from the cadet. She hit the ground hard enough to make her see stars, looking up in time to see Iolaus get thrown   
backward as the energy ball hit his chest.   
  
"NOOOOOOOOO!" The cry ripped through the slience of the night, torn from Hercules' throat with all the anguish and   
pain in the world. With a wordless cry Hercules launched himself at his step-mother, only to sail through thin air as she  
vanished. Her laughter echoed off the stone pillars of the chamber, "He's mine now, Hercules...". And a single peacock's   
feather floated down from the cieling to land at the feet of the stricken demi-god. 


End file.
